Cal U. holds fourth annual fitness testing
Robert Prah, director of Cal U.’s Office of Veterans Affairs, instructs active military members on the requirements for a portion of the basic fitness test.
Sgt. 1st Class Steve Jones of Harrisburg tightly grasps the handles for the flexed-arm hang during the basic fitness test at Herron Recreation and Fitness Center.
For Corey Gaffron, it was almost just another day at the office.
While the travel might not have been as demanding for the California University of Pennsylvania student and U.S. Army cadet, the day might have been one of the most important to begin his military career.
Gaffron joined 35 other active service members of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and National Guard to attempt to earn the prestigious German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge at Cal U., one of the few approved and recognizable foreign awards allowed to be donned on their uniform.
“This badge is more about the overall competency of a soldier,” said Maj. Kevin Krotf, who assisted in facilitating the fourth annual event. “Not only is it about athleticism and taking the time to get physically fit, but it’s a sampling of many different things.”
The badge, which is a decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany, has been available since 1972 to U.S. service members who meet a rigorous proficiency standards that included sprints, a flexed-arm hang, a 1,000-meter run and a 100-meter swim in uniform.
Participants from 11 different states also had to complete a nuclear, biological and chemical test, a pistol qualification, which is being held at Westmoreland County Community College Public Safety Training Center. and a first-aid proficiency test. The competition will conclude with a seven-and-a-half-mile road march with a 33-pound backpack on their way to earning a gold, silver or bronze badge during Saturday’s ceremony.
The sustained success and turnout to earn the badge is only another reason for Robert Prah, director of Cal U.’s Office of Veterans Affairs since 2008, to keep the program moving forward.
“Not only is it good exposure for the university, but it also shows our support to give back to the service members in not only this state but in others, as well,” he said. “The facilities here work out really well, and it’s an opportunity for active members to take this test that is both time-consuming and requires a lot of resources. It means a lot.”
Krotf, an Imperial native, not only looked forward to helping administer the event but to catch up with Prah, who he served with in Iraq years ago.
“I just completed 20 years in the military, and in my travels this badge is one of the most well-known foreign awards that American soldiers wear,” he said. “It is definitely recognized as an impressive achievement.”
That typical day for Gaffron, a 2011 California High School graduate, was admittedly an extremely important one.
“It’s great because not only do we have the Army here, which I’m a part of, but we have different branches, as well. It’s cool to have an event where we are all integrated as one armed force competing together for a particular goal. It’s a very prestigious badge that emphasizes such a high level of fitness. You have to mentally block everything else out and think about the overall goal and how bad you want to achieve that.”