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When asked how he felt about earning his Expert Infantry
Badge, Spc. Heath Stacy said with a low, calm voice, "I am
so happy that I got this."
Relieved to be one of the
62 infantrymen to successfully pass the EIB testing on Sept.
15, 2017, Stacy, a member of the sniper squad in
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 8th
Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry
Division, sat almost motionless on his ruck taking in his
accomplishment.
"It was pretty tough and pretty
stressful. More stressful than I thought it would be," he
said slightly over a whisper while he rested after
completing the last events of the week; the 12-mile ruck
march and Objective Bull, a treat and evacuate a casualty
task.
Rewind back to 4 a.m. on the cold, damp morning
of Sept. 11, when 402 infantrymen stepped up to the start
line for the Army Physical Fitness Test. The EIB standard
score of 80 percent in the push-up, sit-up and 2-mile run
events weeded out several candidates within minutes.
Reinforcing the old adage that 'Nothing worth having comes
easy'.
The 2d Cavalry Regiment from Rose Barracks,
Germany hosted the EIB training and test week from Sept. 6
through 15 for their own Dragoon Soldiers and infantrymen
from 7th Army Training Command, Europe and 4th Infantry
Division, Fort Carson, Colorado who are on a nine month
rotation in Germany.
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Over 400 infantrymen conduct an Army Physical Fitness Test Sept. 11,
2017 during 2d Cavalry Regiment Expert Infantry Badge testing week
in the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany. In order for the
candidates to pass the push-up, sit-up, and 2-mile run, they need a
80% score in each event. The Regiment hosted the EIB training and
test week Sept. 6 – 15. Candidates must past, to standard and timed,
an Army Physical Fitness Test, day and night land navigation, 30
tasks, 12-mile ruck march and the Objective Bull event. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Bunn)
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All events took place in the
Grafenwoehr Training Area.
As the soggy first day
continued, candidates found their way through the land
navigation course, looking for four points they had to plot
on a map themselves. They negotiated the course during day
and night conditions. Although finding three points for each
condition resulted in a 'go', candidate numbers dwindled.
By the time the infantrymen began the second day,
only 248 were still in the game. Thirty stations spread out
equally into three lanes, Medical, Patrol and Weapons. The
men had to execute each Warrior task and drill by the book.
Groups of Soldiers were assigned one lane a day. They
stood in line or practiced the task before being called to
perform. If it wasn't nerve racking enough, the grader held
up a stop watch before fingers touched the equipment to
indicate the clock would be ticking.
"I did not know
it was going to be so stressful going into it," said 1st Lt.
Lucas Baker, platoon leader for Scout Platoon, Headquarters
and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2CR. "You have to take
it one task at a time and you have to focus on that task at
that specific time. If you do not take it one step at a time
you will lose sight of what you are doing and you will
ultimately fail."
Medical Lane consisted of first aid
tasks that included splinting broken bones, controlling
bleeding and treating burns. The Patrol lane had them
donning protective mask, communicating with a tactical radio
and throwing hand grenades.
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A candidate from 2d Cavalry Regiment is tested on his ability to
clear, load, correct a malfunction, and clear and unload a Caliber
.50 Machine Gun Sept. 12, 2017 on the Weapons Lane during 2CR Expert
Infantry Badge testing week in the Grafenwoehr Training Area,
Germany. The Regiment hosted the EIB training and test week Sept. 6
– 15. Candidates must past, to standard and timed, an Army Physical
Fitness Test, day and night land navigation, 30 tasks, 12-mile ruck
march and the Objective Bull event. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Bunn)
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The Soldiers disassembled
and reassembled rifles and machine guns, and set up a
claymore mine while going through the Weapons Lane.
"It goes back to the basics, it's all skill level 1 tasks,"
remarked Sgt. 1st Class Muhammadun Abdallah, event
coordinator, assigned to Regimental Headquarter and
Headquarters Troop, 2CR.
From station to station,
infantrymen made their way with a checklist in hand, hoping
the next task would not be their last. Some were silent.
Some talked amongst a group, coaching each other before
their turn or offering encouragement to a 'Blade Runner'.
A 'Blade Runner' is a term used for someone who is one
'no-go' away from being eliminated from the course.
Staff Sgt. Cameron Angers, the sniper section leader in
Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2CR,
knows the term all too well. This was his third time making
the attempt to earn his badge.
"The course was
grueling but, they set it up really well," Angers said. "The
instructors were very good, all the graders gave us a lot of
good pointers, a lot of good sequences during train up. They
were definitely there to help us get it."
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A candidate from 2d Cavalry Regiment is tested on his ability to
accurately employ a hand grenade Sept. 12, 2017 on the Patrol Lane
during 2CR Expert Infantry Badge testing week in the Grafenwoehr
Training Area, Germany. The Regiment hosted the EIB training and
test week Sept. 6 – 15. Candidates must past, to standard and timed,
an Army Physical Fitness Test, day and night land navigation, 30
tasks, 12-mile ruck march and the Objective Bull event. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Bunn)
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With a 'go'
at all stations and a 12-mile ruck behind him, he can rest
easy and think about how he can help young infantrymen earn
theirs.
"I do not think I have ever been this anxious
for so many days. I am glad to finally get it done," Angers
said before he let out a long slow breath. "I am ready to
get out next time and grade (Soldiers) and help them get
their badge."
A way to help Soldiers earn their badge
is to give them the resources and help them train. The Fort
Benning web site has a pamphlet for download that lists each
task that is tested during an EIB course. Technical manuals
break down tasks into steps.
Abdallah explained that
bad habits were the leading cause of some of the failures.
The tasks that Soldiers do not perform much anymore were the
tasks the Soldiers performed surprisingly well, like donning
a protective mask. The bad habits are with radio procedures
and weapons proficiency. The things Soldiers do on a
consistent basis.
"Taking (weapons) apart and
putting them back together, conducting a functions test; a
lot of them have difficulties with that due to the small
steps," he continued. "For example, palm up or palm down
depending on the weapon system."
Infantrymen are all
in it together. Officer and enlisted are eligible to earn
the badge. They can share in the agony of defeat or
celebrate in triumph.
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A candidate from 2d Cavalry Regiment is tested on his ability to
control bleeding on a casualty Sept. 12, 2017 on the Medical Lane
during 2CR Expert Infantry Badge testing week in the Grafenwoehr
Training Area, Germany. The Regiment hosted the EIB training and
test week Sept. 6 – 15. Candidates must past, to standard and timed,
an Army Physical Fitness Test, day and night land navigation, 30
tasks, 12-mile ruck march and the Objective Bull event. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Bunn)
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"It is a pretty cool
opportunity for us as officers and lot of our senior
enlisted guys that we were in the same training event with
our junior enlisted guys doing the same stuff," Baker said.
"We stayed with them through the training and testing, so
there is a lot of shared comradery that we don't otherwise
get when we go to the field. Everyone from private up to
captain; all doing the exact same thing to the exact same
standard."
"Honestly I feel pretty lucky to get it
the first time. I am very glad I came out here," he
concluded.
A lot of guys do not give up. Third time
is a charm for Spc. Coty Surrounded, a Stryker Anti-Tank
Guided Missile Vehicle crewmember assigned to Quickstrike
Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2CR.
"Feels like a thousand
pounds lifted off my shoulders. It is something that
separates myself from my peers and sets me up for success
for the future," Surrounded explained as to why he kept
coming back for more. "It feels good, because I am a lifer
so, I am glad I got it early."
The EIB is definitely
not just some chest candy. A bit of pride and a sense of
accomplishment can be seen on the faces of those who walked
the stage during the ceremony on Sept. 15, 2017 to have their blue
badge pinned to their jacket by friends, Family and
leadership.
"It is hard. It does take a while but in
the end that smile, that tear you see in that Soldiers' eye
once he pins on that EIB and that he made it through however
long it took him to earn it, it pays off," Abdallah said.
By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jennifer Bunn
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2018
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