Photo By Chuck Cannon | Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, commander, Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk,...... read more read more
FORT POLK, La. — Ninety-three Soldiers from 46 installations across the U.S. Army set out on Feb. 3 to earn the Expert Field Medical Badge at Fort Polk.
When the mud, rain and cold had settled, 16 Soldiers had survived two grueling weeks that pushed them to the brink of their physical and mental stamina and received the coveted badge — and the title of expert field medic.
A ceremony was held Feb. 14 — following the course’s 12-mile road march — on Fort Polk’s Honor Field to recognize the Soldiers’ achievement. Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, commander, Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin B. Stuart, were guest speakers.
Frank spoke about how important the EFMB was to not only those who earned the badge, but also those who were treated by medics with an EFMB.
“The confidence fellow Soldiers have in a badge holder, you can’t put a weight on,” Frank said. “Soldiers who are hurt in combat look for a medic wearing the EFMB. When they find them, they won’t let them go. They want them in their squad, in their platoon, in their company. It happens on every battlefield American Soldiers have been on. They’re looking for that mark of the professional — the EFMB.”
Frank said the EFMB signals to other Soldiers that the wearer is a lifesaver.
“It inspires Soldiers in the formations and it allows them to continue the fight,” he said. “It’s even more important now that we’ve transitioned from counterinsurgency operations into large-scale combat operations.”
Frank said he recently received a note from a Soldier who had been treated at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital on Fort Polk that contained the combat medic creed.
“Combat medics never stand taller than when they kneel to treat the wounded,” Frank read. “That’s powerful. Our graduates today have never stood taller.”
Stuart, who received an EFMB in 1982 at Fort Polk, said the graduates had spent a lot of time, energy and effort to earn the badge. He then related his experience as a young Soldier testing for the EFMB and how it helped encourage him in his career.
“It inspired me to be the best Soldier I could be,” Stuart said. “These Soldiers in front of you today did their best and as a result, earned this badge.”
Stuart told the Soldiers, “You’ve proven to yourself and others that hard work and preparation makes a difference. Cherish this moment of success.”
The EFMB was established in June 1965 as a Department of the Army special skill award recognizing exceptional competence and outstanding performance by field medical personnel. Made of oxidized silver, the badge consists of a litter, placed horizontally, behind a caduceus with the cross of the Geneva Convention. Guidance for conducting EFMB testing is governed by the Army Medical Department Center and School in Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
During the past 57 years, more than 100,000 Soldiers have attempted to earn the badge. Currently, less than 3% have earned the EFMB.
The badge has changed little since its inception, but in 2008 the test was transformed into a testing event that more closely mirrors what medic are required to do in a contemporary operational environment.
Currently, Soldiers are tested in the following areas:
• Tactical combat casualty care
• Medical evacuation
• Tactical communications
• Warrior skills
• Land navigation, both day and night
• Written examination
• 12-mile foot march
The following Soldiers earned their EFMB:
• Sgt. Henry Gross, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, highest score on the written test and zero no-gos
• Staff Sgt. Aaron Angula, Brooke Army Medical Center, zero no-gos
• Spc. Pascal Anderson, Brooke Army Medical Center, fastest time in road march, 2:12
• Staff Sgt. Ryan Campbell, 418th Medical Detachment, Fort Carson, Colorado
• 2nd Lt. Cory Harunkiewicz, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk
• Pfc. Jacob Scott, 2nd Bn, 30th Inf Reg
• Sgt. Jory Huie, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 3rd BCT, 10th Mtn Div, Fort Polk
• Capt. Thomas Gilbreath, 32nd Hospital Center, Fort Polk
• 1st Lt. Isydra Lujan, 32nd HC
• Sgt. Jose Diaz, 32nd HC
• Spc. Nelson Mercado, 32nd HC
• Spc. Rebekah Gippert, 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
• Capt. Luis Powsang, 41st Medical Detachment, Fort Gordon, Georgia
• Capt. Veronica Vasquez, Operations Group, Fort Polk
• Sgt. Cesar Guerrero, Medical Department Activity, Fort Jackson, South Carolina
• Spc. Brandon Clark, Medical Department Activity, Fort Sill, Oklahoma
| Date Taken: | 02.21.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2020 14:10 |
| Story ID: | 363631 |
| Location: | FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 215 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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