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May 1, 2012 - Spc. Michael Bartlett, from 4th Squadron "Longknife," 3rd Cavalry Regiment, receives the Expert Infantryman Badge from Command Sgt. Maj. Patrick Akuna, the senior enlisted member of the regiment. Bartlett also received the Army Commendation Medal for being the only soldier to achieve "true blue," a title reserved for those who pass every task on their first attempt. Photo by
Army Sgt. Lance Pounds
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FORT HOOD, Texas (5/1/2012) – Weeks of training and testing
concluded with a ceremony, which inducted a chosen few who have
proven themselves worthy of displaying the mark of an expert. It is
the Expert Infantryman Badge, a 1795 model Springfield musket
encased by a silver border with an infantry blue background that is
exclusive to the Infantry.
Twenty-seven soldiers from the
3rd Cavalry Regiment donned the coveted badge during a ceremony held
at Fort Hood, April 27. Of the 457 candidates who began testing,
these soldiers earned the right to join fellow EIB holders as
experts in their craft.
Created in 1944, the testing was
designed to display the level of skill possessed by each
infantryman. Normally held once a year, it has earned the reputation
of being one of the most difficult testing in the Army with a
success rate of about 10 percent.
For the regiment, this test
marks another first for the unit, since it began its transformation
in November from an armored cavalry regiment to a Stryker brigade.
“We are the 3rd Cavalry Regiment. A regiment now made up of
light infantryman, a first for Fort Hood,” said Command Sgt. Maj.
Patrick Akuna, the senior enlisted member of the regiment.
“What this means is Strykers moving light infantry platoons and
troops, such as the rangers, pathfinders, air assault and
Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course qualified troopers
that now make up our formation, into battle. All the facets of light
infantry are now at Fort Hood, which gives a heavy force like III
Corps a quick strike capability to deploy forces into a theater of
operations and set the conditions for |
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follow-on forces,” said Akuna. |
How quickly a unit can deploy has been one of the main
factors in military training since the war on terror began,
which means soldiers not only have to be proficient in their
duties but must be able to react at a moment's notice. The
addition of the scenario-based training to EIB testing was
designed to simulate these conditions and test how well each
soldier reacts under pressure.
“You can't tell
someone who has not been deployed, in words, how to react to
something like this,” said Pfc. Trevor
Debeaumont, from the regiment's 3rd squadron. “When you get
the hands-on [training] of every task and you are under
pressure, it makes you think more and react quicker.”
“If the situation arises, I know what to do because of
this training,” said Debeaumont, a native of Las Cruces,
N.M., who added that he took notes during training and
studied them every night, talking himself through each of
the scenarios step by step.
Many of the candidates,
like Debeaumont, formed study groups to learn from one
another and hone their skills, like attention to detail,
which seemed to be the Achilles' heel for many of the
soldiers.
“Some of these soldiers are only privates
and may not understand attention to detail, but when they
are placed in charge, it's that attention to detail that
saves lives,” said 1st Sgt. Lance Kirkham, the Urban
Operations lane non-commissioned officer in charge.
For an infantryman, to earn the EIB as a junior enlisted
soldier not only comes with respect and bragging rights, it
brings with it career advancement, said Kirkham.
“The
EIB is a key deciding factor on the centralized promotion
board for soldiers who want to make it to sergeant first
class and higher,” said Akuna, adding that it is up to him
and his board members to train the soldiers on the
additional skills that are required of them as infantryman,
since most of them are coming directly from basic combat
training.
With about a year in service, Pfc. Cody
Muir, from the regiment's 2nd squadron, jumped at the
opportunity to participate in the testing. As one of the 27
remaining candidates, Muir said to stand on Veterans Field
in front of senior leaders, friends and family was
overwhelming because he made it through something that so
few have done before.
Spc. Michael Bartlett, a
cavalry scout from the regiment's 4th squadron, as the only
soldier to achieve “true blue,” a status reserved only for
those who complete each task on the first attempt. For his
achievement, he was also awarded the Army Commendation
Medal.
Each of the remaining candidates also
received the Army Achievement Medal for successfully
completing the test.
For the hope of earning the mark
of an expert, 457 soldiers put themselves through weeks of
training and testing. Although not all of them earned the
EIB, they received valuable training, which allowed them to
hone their skills and prepare their minds and bodies for the
battlefield.
By Army Sgt. Lance Pounds
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
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