United Kingdom’s 1 Armoured Medical Regiment commands Combat Testing Lane 3 during USAREUR FY15 Fall EFMB

Photo By Capt. Daniel Boone | Spc. James Gardner and Spc. Ashley Siddall of the United Kingdom’s 16 Medical Regiment performs a functions check on the M16 rifle on Combat Testing Lane 1 during standardization week at the U.S. Army Europe Expert Field Medic Badge testing. The EFMB, hosted by the 212th Combat Support Hospital, is a rigorous evaluation of medical skills. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Daniel Boone, 212th CSH Public Affairs)  

GRAFENWOEHR, GERMANY

09.01.2015

Story by Capt. Daniel Boone 

212th Combat Support Hospital

GRAFEWOEHR, Germany – The 212th Combat Support Hospital, partnering with U.S. Army Europe and United Kingdom’s 1 Armoured Medical Regiment, is hosting the Fall 2015 Expert Field Medical Badge at Camp Aachen on Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany.

The 212th CSH continued their interoperability with European Allies during the EFMB setup and testing. 1 Armoured Medical Regiment out of Dempsey Barracks, Sennelager, Paderborn Garrison, was tasked with standardizing and running Combat Testing Lane 3 for this EFMB event. 1 Armoured Medical Regiment has been supporting USAREUR EFMB for the last three courses offered.

1st Lt. Genevieve Froehlich, a Medical Support Officer from the 1 AMR, was tasked as OIC. As the only badge holder in the 1 AMR, she saw it as a privilege and an honor to support this mission.

According to Froehlich the challenges and opportunities this mission presented provided an invaluable experience. “I hope to take the command and leader development strategies I have learned and use them on my soldiers,” she said.

Combat Testing Lane 3 is known as the “commo” lane for EFMB testing. Gradable tasks include moving over/through/around obstacles, extricate a casualty from a vehicle, litter carries, SKED patient movement, assemble and operate a SINCGARS radio, send a Medical Evacuation request, establish a Landing zone, and load an M1113 tactical vehicle with casualties. Each task has requirements that must be completed to pass the lane. It was under Froehlich’s guidance that each member or the cadre and support staff was standardized and validated on knowing the requirements of each task to standard.

The United Kingdom has been sending soldiers to test for the USAREUR EFMB since the mid-1980s. Although the total number of badges awarded to British soldiers is not known, they did have a 50 percent pass rate at the March 2014 EFMB. This year there are 12 UK Soldiers competing for the badge with hopes of increasing that pass rate percentage. The UK military does not offer an EFMB equivalent course. Soldiers that pass the course are allowed to wear the U.S. Army badge with their UK military uniform designating them as experts in field medical care.

Operating joint and multinational training events such as the USAREUR EFMB that bring U.S. military forces and partner nation forces together for training, challenges, and educational opportunities helps provide a ready and agile force for future missions and training opportunities. These opportunities allow USAREUR to link global medical interoperability between U.S. military and our NATO allies in order to support the mission requirements for future medical operations in Europe and the “Strong Europe” campaign.

Next events for EFMB include testing week to conclude with the 12 mile ruck march on September 3, 2015 as the final task to earn the badge.

• Date Taken: 09.01.2015
• Date Posted: 09.01.2015 10:28
• Story ID: 174847
• Location: GRAFENWOEHR, DE