Four Air Force ROTC Cadets Earn German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge

As the calendar flipped to December, visions of sugar plums, holiday gifts and a long winter break danced in the heads of many NC State students. Four Air Force ROTC cadets in Detachment 595, however, were focused on a different vision. 

On Dec. 12-13, Josh Hurd, Jace Lord, Amina Becirovic and Dillon Curtis set out to earn the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge through two days of rigorous tests organized by the 18th Combat Weather Squadron and conducted at Fort Liberty near Fayetteville, North Carolina.

All four cadets passed the series of challenges and earned gold status, securing a new badge they can proudly display on their uniforms. The German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge traces its roots back to the 19th century, and in modern times marks both an individual achievement of endurance, strength and military prowess as well as camaraderie and cooperation among allied nations.  

“I remember seeing the seniors my freshman year with their badges and they looked really cool,” Becirovic said. “Senior year came, it seemed pretty doable to me and I just wanted to do it.”

Hurd, who led the group from NC State, explained that earning the badge comes from the German Armed Forces’ comprehensive test of physical and mental skills, and that this test can be more challenging than the United States’ basic level tests. 

In order to earn the badge, members of non-German armed services must achieve gold proficiency (as opposed to bronze or silver). 

“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to earn a foreign badge as a cadet,” Curtis said. 

The test was administered by Fort Liberty’s German liaison, Lieutenant Colonel Dan Labusch, so getting to interact with and learn from a foreign officer added to the experience for NC State’s cadets. 

“It was really just cool meeting somebody who had military experience from another country, just because what they do is very different, but Germany and the United States are allied nations,” Hurd said. “We are fighting for the same causes. You could see a really good sense of maturity and leadership in the way he presented himself, just like I would see from my commander here at NC State.”

What they do is very different, but Germany and the United States are allied nations.

The first day of the test started with a 100-meter swim in full uniform. Cadets were required to complete the swim in under four minutes, then completely remove their outer uniform in the water without touching the wall of the pool for support. The swim was followed by a basic fitness test that included an 11×10-meter shuttle run, thousand-meter sprint and flexed arm hang, with the scores of those three events averaged for a fitness score. 

Day one concluded with a combat casualty care training event in which cadets must demonstrate an ability to administer first aid under fire, and effectively deploy a gas mask in under nine seconds. 

“I really enjoy doing new and difficult things,” Lord said. “I enjoy challenging myself and seeing what my limitations are. That’s what drives a lot of the stuff I do.”

I enjoy challenging myself and seeing what my limitations are.

The second day of the testing started with a timed road march or “ruck,” in which cadets must march 7.5 miles in under two hours with a pack weighing a minimum of 35 pounds on their backs. The final event was a shooting qualification, which required cadets to use an M-18 Sig Sauer handgun and shoot targets at distances of 5, 10 and 15 meters, with an instructor telling them where to shoot. In order to earn gold, they must hit 9 of 10 shots. 

After all four cadets earned their badges, they knew they’d done something few in the United States get a chance to accomplish, and represented NC State while doing it. 

“Coming home that night and bringing it home to Detachment 595 was super awesome,” Hurd said. “Not a whole lot of people can compete for it, and to know that we had a good showing out there makes me feel proud of our school and our representatives, and definitely pays off for me too since I’ve really been looking forward to it for the past year.” 

Coming home that night and bringing it home to Detachment 595 was super awesome.

For both Hurd and Becirovic, this time around was a second chance to take home the gold, as both had finished with silver in the previous year. 

Hurd managed to improve his score in both swimming and shooting to earn the badge. 

“I told myself that I’m not going to just sit around and forget about it when I know that I can compete,” Hurd said. “So I’ve had a year to get myself in the right mental space, practice the swim and really put my head down. Over this past year, it’s just been anticipation building up to the big day.”

For Becirovic, who graduated from NC State last month and is currently awaiting assignment as a commissioned officer, it was about improving her shooting mark. 

It was also a way to cap off her college ROTC career. 

“It felt like a job unfinished,” Becirovic said. “My dad always used to tell me never do big things like a marathon or mile swim unless you know you’re going to finish it, because it will haunt you if you don’t finish it or get where you want to be. I went from the freshman who didn’t think she could do something to finally being the senior I looked up to.” 

For each of the four cadets, competing for the badge together added a sense of camaraderie to the accomplishment. 

“I’ve been around all of those people the past few years, and we all enjoy each other and get along,” Lord said. “It’s a good environment; we know how to motivate each other. We can push each other.”

Curtis proclaimed his intention to wear his badge proudly, a sentiment his fellow cadets agreed with. 

As they continue forward in their ROTC and post-college careers, each badge winner from NC State has a ready-made example of their willingness and ability to tackle difficult tasks. 

“Having done cool things gives you confidence,” Becirovic said. “Knowing that you’re going to go out and do things that are tough or seem daunting, but you can do them, you gain silent respect in a way. They could look at it and it tells a little bit about my character, that I’m persistent, and I’m up for a challenge.”  

Learn more about Air Force ROTC at NC State here or by contacting Air Force ROTC Detachment 595 at 919-515-8781 or airforce-rotc@ncsu.edu.