Photo By Lt. Col. Jeku Arce | Pvt. Chelcea Dingemanse, 30th Medical Brigade, crosses the finish line under the...... read more read more
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – Thirty-eight candidates earned the Expert Field Medical Badge during EFMB testing hosted by U.S. Army Europe and 212th Combat Support Hospital in Grafenwoehr, Germany, Sept. 3.
Candidates who earned the badge came from U.S. Army Europe, U.S. Army Africa, Kosovo Force, the United Kingdom’s 4 Armoured Medical Regiment, and Germany’s Military Hospital of Hamburg. The fall 2015 EFMB testing started standardization week with 192 candidates and after four days of testing 41 candidates stepped off the starting line of the 12 mile ruck march. Thirty-eight candidates crossed the finish line in time to earn their badge.
EFMB candidates are tested on various soldier and medical tasks such as land navigation, assembling and disassembling both the M16 rifle and the M9 pistol, proper assessment and treatment of a battle wound injuries, and patient evacuation on various types of vehicles.
This was Pvt. Chelcea Dingamase’s second attempt at earning the coveted EFMB. Her previous experience helped her earn the badge, but not without some struggles.
“The easiest part was the Combat Testing Lanes as I remembered the majority of testable material,” she said. “The hardest part was swallowing my pride when I saw the previous cadre at this EFMB from my previous attempt in March 2015.
“When I crossed the finish line I had a large sense of accomplishment since I was able to complete the ruck this time. The next few steps were with feelings of gratitude for Cpt. Brian Thorson and 1st. Sgt. William Hall for pacing me and helping me get there.”
Command Sgt. Maj. William O’Neal, Regional Health Command Europe’s senior enlisted leader, gave the keynote address thanking the 211 cadre that supported the EFMB and congratulating the candidates on their achievement. O’Neal also described the EFMB as an experience like none other in the U.S. Army.
“This is competition at its absolute best,” he said. “This is not a team competition, but an individual competition against the highest standard to earn the right to wear the Expert Field Medical Badge.”
O’Neal also told the badge earners that wearing the badge is something to not take lightly.
“You’ll be looked at as an absolute expert,” he said. “Anyone who sees that badge will understand that you are technically and tactically proficient in your field.”
Soldiers and family members came to hold up encouraging signs, cheer, and pace their EFMB candidate. For those who were not able to attend in person, a live stream featuring highlights of the ruck march and the awards ceremony was available to soldiers, family members, and the candidates’ units away from Germany.
USAREUR extends invites to NATO allies to participate in EFMB on a bi-annual basis. Candidates who participated received training during standardization that is not normally part of their country’s military training, and with each NATO allied candidate that earns their EFMB a subject matter expert is now available to their country’s military to help prepare the next batch of candidates for success.
| Date Taken: | 09.04.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.04.2015 10:00 |
| Story ID: | 175264 |
| Location: | GRAFENWOEHR, DE |
| Web Views: | 732 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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