Infantry Drill Sergeants Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk

By Lt. Col. Colleen Vermeulen, Battalion Commander

During Annual Training, Infantry drill sergeants from 3-330th Infantry Regiment (One Station Unit Training), 1st Brigade, 98th Training Division, coach and motivate trainees through their first tactical road marches at Fort Benning, Georgia. This spring, Soldiers from 3-330th Infantry Regiment have been planning routes, training for, and motivating one another to earn one of the most challenging armed forces skill badges, the Marsjmerket, or Norwegian Foot March. The Marksjmerket began in Norway in 1915 as a way to build familiarity between the military and civilian populations of Norway, especially new recruits. Today, the Norwegian Foot March requires participants to complete an 18.6 mile (30k) foot march with a 25 lb (11 kg) ruck, within a set time based on age and gender.

The Norwegian Foot March is “definitely challenging,” said Staff Sgt. Kendel French, Golf Company, 3-330th Infantry Regiment. “It’s a faster pace than the timed ruck marches at Air Assault and many other U.S. Army schools.”

Golf Company first sergeant, Nicholas Hardy, noted, “People often get wrapped up thinking about the 25 lbs, but it’s the distance that gets you.” Soldiers who successfully met the time standard to earn this foreign skill badge encourage others to train for the 18.6 mile distance with progression, building up physically and mentally with longer distances.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to ‘do you want it?’ Being a Soldier, it’s good to do something like this. I was dreading it, but I wanted to challenge myself,” said Staff Sgt. Marco Aguilar.

These Infantry drill sergeants are more prepared to train America’s next generation of Infantrymen at Fort Benning, explained Hardy. “Pacing a tactical road march with trainees is different, lots of standing around and motivating them through it, but this is mind-clearing, being challenged to push yourself individually. It gives us perspective on trainees and their experience.”