BISMARCK, N.D., - The North Dakota National Guard Recruit Training Battalion (RTB) held their annual Stripes for Skills testing this month.
The RTB holds the event to offer the Soldiers within the battalion a chance to be promoted for above average skills.
The RTB is composed of Soldiers, who have not finished their training to become a North Dakota Guard member. This includes Soldiers, who have either not yet shipped to Basic Training or who have not finished Advanced Individual Training, both of which are the first two schools that all Soldiers must complete before joining their designated unit.
The Stripes for Skills test consists of a series of tests that quiz a Soldier on his knowledge of the basic Army fundamentals. All information in the tests is taught throughout the year at the RTB.
“Soldiers here have a step up over other Soldiers when they get to Basic Training. They will have the knowledge and skills that others may not know,” said Staff Sgt. James Salz, cadre member of the RTB in Bismarck.
RTB is a National Guard concept that is not done in the regular Army and allows Soldiers a deeper understanding of Army skills.
First, the Soldiers must complete and pass an Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). To do this, a Soldier performs as many sit-up repetitions in a two-minute session as he can, and repeats that same process with push-ups.
After completing the sit-up and push-up portion of the physical fitness test, the Soldiers run two miles as quickly as they can, hoping to get a fast time.
The numbers of sit-up and push-up repetitions, as well as the run time, are compared to the Army Physical Fitness Test chart to determine the score of the test. Soldiers must get at least a 60% in each category to pass.
The next section of the Stripes for Skills test is the written exam. The written exam tests the Soldier on his knowledge of the Army ranks, the phonetic alphabet, converting military time to civilian, and other basic Army knowledge.
Following the written exam is the first aid test, which requires Soldiers to demonstrate basic first aid skills by imitating the type of treatment they would administer to different wounds.
After showing comprehension of first aid skills, the Soldiers then move to a land navigation test. Using a map and a protractor, the students must pinpoint different terrain features and points of interest on a map. The Soldiers must also be able to determine the distance between two given points on a map to pass this section.
Lastly, the Soldiers must demonstrate proficiency in drill and ceremony. Drill and ceremony is a composition of movement techniques used in the Army to move soldiers in a unified manner. Soldiers must know how to properly turn left and right when standing in a formation, as well as how to march when moving as a group.
If a Soldier performs all of the sections of the test with a satisfactory score, the Soldier will have passed the Stripes for Skills test. This results in the Soldier being promoted to the next rank in the Army.
“These Soldiers will become leaders someday,” said Cadet Nicholas Bendas, cadre member of the RTB in Bismarck. “Thankfully we have the trained non-commissioned officers in this unit to properly train the new Soldiers to be prepared for their future units.”
These tested skills, among other skills taught at the RTB, help the Soldiers make it through basic training without the shock factor that those who do not receive the training go through.
“Although these skills are important, one of the best skills is this: Early is on time, on time is late, and late is totally unacceptable,” said Staff Sgt. Randall Raasch, cadre member of the RTB in Bismarck.
The RTB tests its Soldiers at its companies in three locations, Bismarck, Fargo, and Devils Lake.