Fort Hood Dental Team Masters the Norwegian Foot March

Advanced Education in General Dentistry residents—students in USU’s Postgraduate Dental College—complete the demanding 18.6-mile Norwegian Foot March.

Five military service members in camouflage uniforms sit on an asphalt surface, resting next to a blue Igloo cooler and their rucksacks.

Members of the Fort Hood Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD)-2 residency team, including

Maj. Larry Zhang, Cmdr. Vincent Ferretti, Capt. Alex Bullock, and Capt. Elicia Murtha, rest after

completing the grueling 18.6-mile Norwegian Foot March on April 3, 2026. The team includes residents

and mentors from the USU Postgraduate Dental College. (Photo credit: Lt. Col. Stephanie Helmus,

U.S. Army)

April 10, 2026 by Lt. Col. Stephanie Helmus, U.S. Army

Pushing their limits in both endurance and teamwork, members of the Fort Hood (Texas) Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD)-2 residency team completed the grueling 18.6-mile Norwegian Foot March, earning the prestigious “Marsjmerket” badge—an international symbol of physical and mental fortitude. The march, held April 3, 2026, required participants to carry a rucksack weighing at least 25 pounds within a strict time limit, is recognized worldwide as a demanding test of stamina and resilience. The event was first held in 1915 as a test of marching endurance for soldiers in the Norwegian Army.

The team included Lt. Col. Stephanie Helmus and Maj. Jillian Shute, Army mentors, as well as Cmdr. Vincent Ferretti, a Navy AEGD-2 resident, and Maj. Larry Zhang, Capt. Alex Bullock and Capt. Elicia Murtha, all Army AEGD-2 residents. Following months of intensive training led by Bullock, five participants successfully completed the march, cheered on by faculty and fellow residents at the finish line.

Two female soldiers in camouflage uniforms and heavy rucksacks walk down a dirt road during the Norwegian Foot March. Other military personnel stand in the background under a cloudy sky.

Participants push through the final miles of the 18.6-mile course on April 3, 2026. The event followed

months of intensive training led by Capt. Alex Bullock to prepare the residents for the physical and mental

rigors of the march. (Photo credit: Lt. Col. Stephanie Helmus, U.S. Army)

The march immediately followed the four-day Fort Hood Restorative Short Course, which featured presentations from Army and Air Force faculty members from the Uniformed Services University's (USU) Postgraduate Dental College (PDC), and was attended virtually by approximately 135 participants from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as Canadian Forces.

“This achievement demonstrates the same commitment, discipline, and perseverance that our residents bring to their clinical work every day,” said Dr. Drew Fallis, Executive Dean of the PDC in which the residents are enrolled. “They not only excel in the classroom and clinic but also embody the physical and mental rigor that defines a military professional."

A group of approximately 14 military members in Army and Navy uniforms stand together for a group portrait outdoors. Several large military rucksacks and a cooler are placed on the ground in the foreground.

The Fort Hood dental residency team, comprised of Army and Navy residents from the USU Postgraduate

Dental College, gather at the Norwegian Foot March event. Participants were required to carry a rucksack

weighing at least 25 pounds within a strict time limit to earn the “Marsjmerket” badge. (Photo credit: Lt.

Col. Stephanie Helmus, U.S. Army)