|
FORT HOOD, Texas - Nineteen soldiers from various units from
around Fort Hood stood tall and proud on Sadowski Field as members
of their units or family members pinned Expert Field Medical Badges
onto their uniforms on November 1, 2013.
|
Cherish Pedraza pins the EMFB on her husband, Staff Sgt. Jose
Pedraza, veterinary food inspection specialist, 43rd Medical
Detachment on Nov. 1, 2013. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Bradley J.
Wancour, 13th Public Affairs Detachment)
|
The Soldiers standing in formation were still showing
signs of physical exertion because they had just completed
the final task of EFMB testing, a 12-mile road march.
Despite the sweat stains on their uniforms, the pride
and happiness they felt could be seen on their faces as they
received the badges for which they had worked so hard.
Those Soldiers represented only a small portion of those
who underwent the testing.
“Fourteen days ago, 288
medical personnel from III Corps and subordinate units set
out to attain the EFMB; before you stand the remaining
Soldier medics who have risen to the challenge,” Master Sgt.
Michele Johnson, 1st Medical Brigade security
noncommissioned officer-in-charge, announced to the Soldiers
and civilians gathered to witness the graduation ceremony.
With only a 7-percent graduation rate, those who now
wear the EFMB are certainly a member of a distinguished few.
“Less than 1 percent of all medics have this badge,”
said Spc. Kyle Morneau, a combat medic and lane evaluator
with the 546th Area Support Medical Company. “Wearing the
EFMB distinguishes you among your peers as the best of the
best.”
Col. Bruce McVeigh, III Corps rear chief of
staff and former commander of the 1st Med. Bde., agreed with
Morneau's assessment.
“These warriors standing before
you today are now among the elite health professionals in
our nation's military,” McVeigh said in his speech at the
graduation ceremony.
McVeigh elaborated on the
importance of the EFMB testing and spoke to the quality of
the graduates.
“During past conflicts and the wars we
fight today, a wounded Soldier's survival was directly
linked to the speed and expertise of care given on and off
the battlefield,” McVeigh said. “What makes the difference,
then and now, is well-trained medics. And here before us all
is a sampling of the very best our nation has to offer.”
In order to call the graduates of the EFMB testing the
best medics in the military, the testing process has to be
complete and rigorous.
The test is comprised of three
combat testing lanes, a comprehensive written test, a
grueling land navigation course, and a 12-mile forced road
march, all designed to test each and every skill a combat
medic can be expected to use in the line of duty, explained
Capt. Daniel Davis, 582nd Medical Logistics Company, EFMB
officer-in-charge.
“It's difficult; it really is a
challenge,” said Sgt. Juliane McClowsky, animal care
specialist with the 43rd Veterinary Services Support
Detachment. “It doesn't just get handed out to everyone; you
really have to work for it.”
The chance to earn the
EFMB is available Armywide to medical personnel, including
enlisted, warrant officers and officers assigned to or
detailed to the Army Medical Department, Johnson said.
Earning the EFMB is not as simple as signing up and
competing.
“To participate in the event, candidates
have to have a current Army Physical Fitness Test, weapons
qualification and a memo from their commander saying that
they are able to train and have completed a 12-mile foot
march,” Davis said.
In addition to the administrative
requirements, candidates must train hard prior to attending
the EFMB test if they hope to succeed, Davis explained.
“For a candidate to be successful, he can't just decide
the week before,” Davis explained. “It's hours of
preparation.”
By U.S. Army Spc. Bradley J. Wancour
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
Comment on this article |
