Twenty-eight DLIFLC staff and faculty participate in an 18.6 mile ruck/march along the California coast Monterey, Jan. 11, 2025.
A joint services group from the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, composed of 28 students and staff from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, completed a Norwegian Foot March and received the coveted Norwegian Marsjmerket badge Jan. 11, 2025.
The Norwegian Foot March is an 18.6-mile ruck march in which participants are required to ruck/run in an authorized duty uniform, boots and with a 25+ pound weighted backpack. In addition, the participants had to complete the march under the time designated for their age group, between 4.5 and 5 hours. Every student participant successfully completed the event and earned the badge.
The NFM was organized by Army Capt. Christopher Young and Army Staff Sgt. Nathan Lankford.
“When I arrived here for my Russian course, I overheard many students that were looking for an outlet to decompress from the stress associated with training here at DLI,” said Young. “So, I started a workout and leadership training group back in June 2024 and we met every Saturday.”
Twenty-eight DLIFLC staff and faculty participate in an 18.6 mile ruck/march along the California coast in Monterey, Jan. 11, 2025.
The first practice march was 8 miles long.
“During our meetings I was able to work with students and show them how to properly ruck, improve their physical fitness, and learn valuable leadership skills.”
As the group progressed through the year, they expressed interest in participating in a event to receive a foreign badge, however there were none available.
Event organizers Capt. Christopher Young and Staff Sgt. Nathan Lankford proudly show that all 28 participants who registered for the 18.6 mile march, carrying 25+ pounds on their backs, completed the second Norwegian Foot March Jan. 11, 2025.
Because of his previous experience working with the Norwegian Attaché, Young was able to get approval from the Norwegian consulate for not just one march but two. This meant that students who participated in both events would have the possibility to earn the Silver badge.
To get the 25 pounds of weight in their backpacks, the participants were encouraged to use cans of food because one can equals roughly a pound. As the first official foot march was in November, the team purchased Thanksgiving-friendly cans of food and then donated them to the Monterey Food Bank.
Between the two marches, the participants donated over a thousand pounds of food.
