HASTINGS, Neb. - The Nebraska Army National Guard’s 402nd Military Police Battalion hosted Nebraska’s first German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge testing June 14-15, with 90 Soldiers striving to earn the coveted gold, silver or bronze badge.
Sgt. Maj. Stefan Mass, a German physical training instructor, administered the two-day challenge. Soldiers were tested on marksmanship, swimming, physical fitness and endurance through ruck marching.
Testing began at the Hastings Aquacourt with the swim event: 100 meters in uniform. Soldiers had 4 minutes to complete the swim, then remove their wet, heavy uniforms while treading water to simulate a successful water rescue.
Spc. Alexander Jacobson, 734th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, said the swim event was a challenge, but he enjoyed doing something different from the dry land training the Soldiers are used to.
Sgt. Joseph Methe, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1-134th Cavalry, agreed the event was challenging. “I went in confident and came out humbled,” Methe said.
The next day, the Soldiers completed the rest of the testing requirements at the Greenlief Training Site. They began with the German Fitness Test: a 1,000-meter run, a flexed-arm hang and a 110-meter shuttle sprint.
Staff Sgt. Timothy Vogel, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 402nd Military Police Battalion, said the 1,000-meter run was more challenging than the U.S. Army’s standard 2-mile run. All Soldiers passed the required track events before transitioning to marksmanship qualification.
The German Marksmanship Qualification has Soldiers fire M9 pistols at specially designed paper targets. For some, the weapon was just as unfamiliar as the target card and testing, as many of the Soldiers are not typically assigned a pistol.
“Shooting was fun, but I had to focus on the double action and not anticipate the shot,” said Staff Sgt. Beau Heithoff, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 128th Engineer Battalion.
Testing culminated with the 12-kilometer, 33-pound rucksack road march. The goal was to march the distance in 10 minutes per kilometer.
Sgt. Brent Kendall, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1-134th Cavalry, said the ruck march was a great way to end.
“The ruck allowed us to finish as a team,” Kendall said. “It was a great team-building event.”
The GAFPB — or in German, Abzeichen für Leistungen im Truppendienst — is one of the few approved foreign awards authorized by the U.S. military for wear on the service uniform. The award fosters connections between allies, building friendships based on common experiences.
Of the 90 participants, 50 earned the GAFPB — 14 bronze, 27 silver and nine gold.
“I am extremely proud of our Nebraska Army National Guard competitors who accepted the challenge,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Sharp, the 402nd Military Police Battalion’s senior enlisted leader. “They persevered a physically and mentally challenging event, proving their dedication and resilience.”
At the award ceremony, Lt. Col. Troy Dannehl, battalion commander, thanked the German Armed Forces and the Nebraska National Guard leadership for supporting their initiative to host Nebraska’s first GAFPB testing.
“I look forward to future events that are rewarding and challenging Nebraska’s Soldiers,” Dannehl said.
(Capt. Nathan Reicks contributed to this story)