Photo By Staff Sgt. Chris Perkey | Infantrymen with the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, stand in...... read more read more
Subscribe
Infantrymen with the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, put their knowledge and skills to the test Sept. 25-29, 2017, with hopes of earning the coveted Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB).
Out of 453 candidates, 95 "Raider" Brigade Soldiers successfully completed the EIB testing, including 29 "true blue" candidates who finished all tasks with a "first time go" in all lanes of testing.
According to the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, only 18 percent of Soldiers tested actually earned the EIB in 2016.
The testing process measures the mastery of individual skills through different evaluations over a five-day period.
On day one of testing, every candidate was required to pass an Army Physical Fitness Test with a minimum score of 80 percent in each event, and that was followed by a day and night land navigation course.
Soldiers spent the next three days rotating through numerous consecutive stations that tested them on 37 tasks over the medical, weapons and patrol lanes.
Participants are strictly graded and are required to complete each task according to infantry manuals to pass. Failing to correctly complete three stations, or the same station twice in a row, removed a Soldier from the evaluations.
The final task was a 12-mile foot march candidates had to complete in under three hours while wearing a 35-pound ruck sack. Some participants just wanted to prove to themselves that they could earn the badge, while others felt like they needed to earn it for advancement to the next rank. No matter the reason, the Soldiers were focused and determined for every task placed in front of them.
Although each candidate had his own challenges and obstacles to overcome throughout testing, most agreed that the coaching and mentorship provided by their NCO support channel was a determining factor in their success.
The EIB was introduced in 1944 as a way to recognize an infantryman's proficiency in the skill sets required for the rigors of combat.
| Date Taken: | 10.18.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 03.14.2018 12:49 |
| Story ID: | 269367 |
| Location: | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 95 earn prestigious EIB, by SSG Chris Perkey, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT