2BCT Infantry upholds tradition, Infantrymen earn EIB

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Mark Moore | Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III visited Expert Infantry Badge candidates assigned to 2nd Brigade Combat Team during day three of EIB testing lanes held, Aug. 6. Chandler answered questions from Soldiers on the release date of the new Army Combat Uniform, troop strength downsizing, the future of the military and awarded his coin to deserving Soldiers nominated by their leaders or peers.  

UNITED STATES

08.08.2014

Story by Staff Sgt. Mark Moore 

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs

FORT DRUM, N.Y. - Falling in line with their lineage, nearly 500 infantrymen of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, left their rank at the door, embraced the title of candidate and set out to prove their proficiency during Expert Infantrymen Badge testing lanes on Fort Drum, Aug. 4-8.

Expert Infantry Badge testing was established in 1944 by non-commissioned officers of the100th Infantry Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. Testing consisted of eight tasks administered over three days, allowing leaders to identify and formally recognize the most proficient infantryman within their ranks.

Of those 100 candidates (NCO's) only one man was bestowed this honor, Tech. Sgt. Walter Bull.

Through the years, testing procedures were modified to mimic current battle field tasks and drills. Today, an infantryman must precisely execute nearly 40 tasks over a five day period.
Day 1 began with the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) followed by day and night land navigation.

These two events proved to be a catastrophic combination, resulting in the majority of candidates being dropped from the course because they did not find at least three out of five land navigation points or earn a score of 75 points in each of the APFT testing events.

"Our number of personnel was basically cut in half during land navigation testing," said EIB candidate Sgt. 1st Class Jared Holt, A Company, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment. "I think this pin points an area we need to work on. We need to take these guys out to the woods and better prepare them for next years testing.”

Holt, native of Miller S.D., and five time EIB candidate explains that preparedness, while important, is not the most important. Being able to perform under pressure is what really separates an expert Infantryman from the rest.

"You need to have a positive mental attitude; being able to say ‘I got knocked down, but I'm going to get back up and not let anything take me out of the game’ is important. Our Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness teams do a lot of good work with our Soldiers teaching them mental techniques to stay motivated and focused, this helps them stay in the fight."

With the stress of failing or 'No Go-ing' three stations before disqualification from the course, mental resiliency must be exercised.

By day 3, Pfc. Binjham Ezell, A Company, 2-14th IN, one of 120 candidates left, had his first 'No Go'. Stressed about the upcoming weapons lanes Ezell expressed concerns.

“Its pretty nerve racking at times," said the Clearfield, Pennsylvania native. "Disassembling and reassembling weapons always makes me nervous. So far I’ve done flawlessly, but the 50 cal. machine-gun station is going to be a tough one. Thirty seconds is not a lot of time."

Both Holt and Ezell advanced to day 5 along with 30 other candidates to begin the 12-mile road march that must be completed in three hours or less.

The final qualifying Soldier crossed the finish line as the three-hour time limit expired, marking the end of a five-day journey to excellence.

"I’m glad it’s over," said Holt with a sigh of exhaustion. "It's just one of those things, I wasn't going to quit. Every time EIB came up I said ‘hey I'm going to put 100 percent into it even though I kind of have a lot of baggage when it comes to the previous ones’."

Ezell, also earned the title of youngest infantryman to complete the course this cycle and credits his success to the help of his fellow Soldiers who studied with him day and night.

"It feels fantastic," exclaimed Ezell. “To be honest I can't believe I made it this far and even got it. So, the fact that I'm the youngest one, I just hope that this shows everyone who is my rank and age that it is obtainable."

An awards ceremony was held shortly after the end of the road march to honor the 32 Commando Soldiers who completed the EIB lanes and earned the right to wear the badge.

"We started with 483 candidates, now there are only 32," said Col. David S. Doyle, commander, 2nd BCT. "These men, the ones remaining on the field, are the ones who survived the scenarios, realistic based lanes, 40 different tasks and a 12-mile road march this morning. They have been through an awful lot and have truly earned the title of Expert Infantryman."

Notable performers are 1st Lt. Nikolas Anninos, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Lt. Nicholas Hurff, C Company, 4-31 IN, and 1st Lt. Richard Owen, D Company, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment the only Soldiers to complete all tasks without a “No Go”, earning them the title of "True Blue." 1st Lt. John Bomsta, B Company, 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment finished the 12-mile road march with the fastest time of 1:57.

• Date Taken: 08.08.2014
• Date Posted: 08.13.2014 13:27
• Story ID: 139223
• Location: US