Photo By Sgt. Joshua Laidacker | Infantrymen of 3rd Infantry Division and the 188th Training Support Brigade stand in...... read more read more
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FORT STEWART, Ga. – Ninety-six infantrymen stood exhausted at the 3rd Infantry Division’s Expert Infantryman’s Badge awards ceremony, Oct. 2, on Cottrell Field, Fort Stewart, after completing a 12-mile foot march as the last test for the badge.
The Expert Infantryman Badge was introduced in 1944 as a way to recognize an infantryman’s proficiency in the skill sets required for the rigors of combat.
“The chow line’s long, the showers are short and cold and you have to tell yourself everyday ‘I have to be motivated,’” said Spc. Tyler Howard, a candidate from Company C, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID.
The 958 soldiers began testing, Sept. 28, at Camp Oliver, on Fort Stewart, where they had to pass the Army Physical Fitness Test, a day and night land navigation course, tests on weapons mastery skills, three individual tactical test lanes – a total of 39 tasks, and complete a 12-mile foot march within three hours, during the five days of testing.
“To be an expert is to be the best at your job, and being expert infantry; the only thing that you really want to be if you’re an infantryman,” said Howard.
Sgt. Tyler Negri, an EIB cadre member with 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID, said, “Passing EIB is more about being mentally and physically capable of performing your job as an infantryman.”
“The standards for EIB are pretty cut and dry,” said Negri, an infantryman who has also earned the EIB. “I’m here to be fair and impartial and make sure they achieve the standards.”
Negri added he enjoyed seeing his fellow infantrymen succeed and that his motivation to earn his EIB three years ago was to not disappoint his squad leader at the time.
In the first EIB testing only 10 percent completed the testing successfully and 70 years later those numbers mirror the numbers in this year’s testing to earn the silver and infantry blue badge.
“It took me three tries to get my EIB,” said Maj. Gen. John M. Murray, commander of 3rd ID, during the ceremony. “This is one set of tasks where there is absolutely no room for error and the attrition rate clearly illustrates what I mean.”
“This is a special day in your career when you can truly feel how great it is to be a soldier and how great it is to be an infantryman,” concluded Murray. “I’m proud of all of you.”
The 4th IBCT, also known as the Vanguard Brigade, continued its tradition of being “Out Front” by facilitating the event as well as training the most soldiers to successfully complete the EIB testing with 48 candidates, including 10 “true blue,” or candidates who had completed all tasks with no deficiencies during testing.
| Date Taken: | 10.02.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 10.06.2014 13:23 |
| Story ID: | 144392 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 370 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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