Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Brian Erickson | A candidate for the Expert Infantryman Badge throws a grenade at a target during the...... read more read more
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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - In 1944 the Army Chief of Staff initiated the development of an award to honor the U.S. Army infantryman. More than 600 Bronco Infantry Soldiers were willing to shed blood, sweat and tears for a chance to earn this award named the Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB) here March 30 through April 10, 2015.
“This badge is the pinnacle of being an Army infantryman, and I believe if you are an infantryman you need to go after this badge,” said 1st Lt. Nick Ondovcsik, platoon leader, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
Success would not come easy; each individual had to go through five days of intense tasks to earn the right to wear the EIB.
Five days prior, 617 Infantry Soldiers converged on Area X-Ray to begin the testing for the EIB.
The first task for everyone was completing the Physical Training test with a score of 75 in each event, a task that disqualified 250 Soldiers.
For those who passed the PT test, Land Navigation course awaited them over on East Range.
Each candidate had to successfully find different points on the course during the day by using a compass, protractor and map. If they succeeded in finding their points, they had to come back and do it again after the sun went down.
Living up to its reputation of difficulty, only 92 remained after the Land Navigation portion. For the remaining candidates, the next three days of testing would either make or break them.
Each candidate had to successfully complete tasks in areas, such as applying first aid, weapon proficiency, arming and throwing a hand grenade and protecting against nuclear, biological and chemical attack; a total of 42 tasks.
Each infantryman had to put their Soldiering skills on display and prove that they could perform their duties to standard.
Ondovcsik said he spent the two weeks leading up to the EIB testing studying and making sure he knew how to complete each task of the different testing phases. Ondovcsik’s work paid off as he was one of the few to earn the EIB.
The last tasks for the 48 candidates remaining on day five were a complete a 12-mile ruck-march in three hours or less and a weapons proficiency test at the end of the 12 miles. Only one Soldier failed to complete these tasks in the time allotted.
For the 47 Soldiers who successfully earned the coveted Expert Infantryman Badge on April 10, the blood, sweat and tears were worth every bit of it. Four of the Soldiers earned the prestigious “True Blue” status by completing every task with no failures or restarts.
According to one of the “True Blue” graduates, simply not paying attention can cost you the badge.
“You have to pay attention to the details and make sure you hit each performance measure of the task,” said Staff Sgt. Paul Piszcz, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd BCT, 25th ID. “The grenade toss also gets a lot of Soldiers, because once it leaves your hand you have no control of how it will land.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Jones, command sergeant major, 25th Infantry Division, applauded the new EIB holders saying, “The Expert Infantryman Badge is more than just a piece of iron that sits upon your chest, it is a symbol of excellence and a testament of a true infantryman.”
| Date Taken: | 04.13.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.16.2015 17:00 |
| Story ID: | 160236 |
| Location: | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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