Paul Weiss Earns German Proficiency Badge

2013 May 3

Paul Weiss of Menomonie, Wis., is one of twelve cadets from the Northwoods Battalion Army ROTC based at University of Wisconsin-Stout who passed a military proficiency test. Weiss is majoring in graduate program, management.

The cadets, from UW-Stout, UW-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls, completed the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency the weekend of April 5-7 in Milwaukee.

The event was hosted by the Marquette University Army ROTC program.

ROTC stands for Reserve Officer Training Corps.

Northwoods Battalion cadets earned two gold medals, nine silver and one bronze.

"The Northwoods ROTC Battalion was one of the few competing battalions that had every participant qualify for a medal, which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of each of the cadets who trained and competed for this prestigious honor," said Capt. Jared Siverling, an assistant professor of military science at UW-Stout.

The weekend competition consisted of nine events designed to challenge various physical and mental abilities requisite for leadership in the military. There were six athletic challenges: high jump, standing long jump, running long jump, shot put, 3,000-meter run and 100-meter sprint.

Additionally, there was a written first aid test and a 9mm pistol shoot.

A 6-, 9-, or 12-kilometer timed march while carrying gear was the final challenge of the weekend.

The UW-Stout cadets were Isaac Miller, of Menasha; Tim Nelson, of Augusta; Paul Weiss, of Menomonie; Adam Widder, of Milwaukee; and Alec Zoern, of Germantown.

The UW-Eau Claire cadets were Samuel Schultz, Jonathan Secraw, Shane Smith and Chad Wanek.

The UW-River Falls cadets were Sean Bottin, Ryan Byrd and Hannah Hathaway.

For more information on the Northwoods Battalion, go to www.uwstout.edu/programs/rotc.