An airman surfaces to catch his breath during the clothed lap swim portion of the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 22, 2024. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Tech. Sgt. James Ely grasped for the pool wall just as the timer showed four minutes, his waterlogged uniform making 100 meters feel like a mile.

Without a second to spare, Ely passed the first test for the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge.

“The whole course is challenging, but this was the part that worried me the most,” said Ely, 41, a paralegal at Ramstein.

The chance to earn and wear the German badge — one of only a few foreign military decorations authorized for U.S. troops — drew more than 300 service members from U.S. bases in the Kaiserslautern area, ready to demonstrate their physical stamina, speed and strength on land and water.

The test began Monday with a splash at the Ramstein Aquatic Center.

Participants had to swim 100 meters in four minutes or less in battle dress uniform, sleeves fastened at the wrist and jackets buttoned to the top to reduce drag.

After the timed swim, participants stripped to their swimsuits, heaving their dripping uniforms onto the deck without touching the wall or pool bottom for support.

The swim is the first event by design, said Senior Master Sgt. Frank Roglmeier, a German airman who helps organize the testing program at Ramstein. Typically, about 20% to 30% of foreign troops fail the swim test, he said, and don’t move on. Being able to swim in uniform demonstrates being ready to “fight everywhere, even in water,” he said.

Eighteen didn’t make the cut this time, Roglmeier said Tuesday.

Senior Airman Sequan Holness, 27, a mechanic with the 86th Vehicle Readiness Squadron, was one of them. He taught himself to swim just last week, he said.

“I sank after I lost momentum,” he said. “This was a very humbling experience.”

Holness said he wanted to earn a medal from Europe before moving back stateside this summer. “This was available, so I thought, ‘Why not?’ ”

German air force Senior Master Sgt. Benjamin Angel, a training NCO with NATO Allied Air Command, checks in with U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Sequan Holness, a mechanic with the 86th Vehicle Readiness Squadron, after Holness did not complete the swim portion of the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency in time at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 22, 2024. Holness had taught himself to swim just a week before the test. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

Army Staff Sgt. Francisco Laporte, a corrections and detentions specialist, throws his uniform top while treading water, a requirement of the swim portion of the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 22, 2024. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

U.S. Air Force Capt. Raquel Muscioni, an area defense counsel attorney, competes in the swimming portion of the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 22, 2024. Muscioni and her fellow competitors had to complete the clothed 100-meter swim in under four minutes to move to the next round. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

Air Force Master Sgt. Ross Kosakowski, serving as a temporary first sergeant with the 1st Air Combat Operations Squadron, throws his uniform top as he begins the swim portion of the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 22, 2024. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

German air force Senior Master Sgt. Benjamin Angel, a training NCO with NATO Allied Air Command, talks with U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Robert Johnson, a radio technician with American Forces Radio, following the swim portion of the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency in time at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 22, 2024. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

Heeding a tip from one of her junior troops in the Space Force, Master Sgt. Anastasia Rash, 35, did the backstroke while moving her arms and legs like a frog to gain speed, she said.

She finished in 3:10, turning in the fastest time among the 53rd Space Operations Squadron, Detachment Charlie.

“I grew up in Ukraine,” she said, “so we have the Black Sea. I love the water.”

Air Force 2nd Lt. Chandler Herren was one of the few swimmers to do the breaststroke the whole way, finishing in 2:13. A former scholastic competitive swimmer, Herren heard about the German military skills badge in college, where his ROTC detachment offered it.

The chance to earn the award while in Germany “gives it a whole different meaning because you want to build that relationship” with German counterparts on base, he said.

Interest in the decoration German military personnel must test for annually has grown to the point where Roglmeier, with help from U.S. personnel on Ramstein, organized a large-scale test this week and called it German American Friendship Days.

Roglmeier used to offer the test to small groups of about 10 or fewer throughout the year, whenever units asked about it.

Last year, however, more than 200 people took the test, and this year, it’s up to 306.

The gold, silver, and bronze variations of the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency rest poolside at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, as U.S. service members complete the swim test, April 22, 2024. These badges equate to different levels of achievement in the military skills test. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

German air force Col. Michael Trautermann greets U.S. airmen and soldiers at the Ramstein Aquatic Center pool before they begin the swim portion of the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency, April 22, 2024, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

Air Force Staff Sgt. Steven Hermosisima, a unit deployment manager with the 721st Air Mobility Operations Group, takes a final breath before pushing off to start the swim portion of the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 22, 2024. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

U.S. Space Force Tech. Sgt. Mark Fitzgerald, an operations flight chief with the 53rd Satellite Operations Squadron in Landstuhl, Germany, removes his uniform top while treading water during the swim portion of the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 22, 2024. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

Airman Arabella Ellis, a postal clerk with the 786th Force Support Squadron, uses the backstroke during the swim portion of the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 22, 2024. Service members from all services, units and career fields were eligible to attempt to meet the German military's requirements to earn the proficiency badge. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

“I think it’s important to build friendships and partnerships … and to be able to do something that’s primarily a German thing,” said Chief Master Sgt. Joshua Wiener, of the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing, shortly after participating in the swim test with about 80 airmen from his wing.

This year’s participants also include service members from countries like Croatia, Slovenia, Italy and France.

Other test components feature target shooting with U.S.-provided ammunition and the German military’s Beretta M9 pistol; a 7.5-mile ruck march with a 33-pound backpack; and a fitness test that includes a shuttle run, hanging with the chin above a bar for at least 5 seconds and a 1,000-meter run in 6:30 or less.

A written test about combat lifesaving skills rounds out the week. An award ceremony is scheduled Friday, with badges awarded in gold, silver and bronze, depending on the participant’s score.

“If you survive all the events, you’ll get a badge,” Roglmeier said.