1st BCT Soldiers awarded their EIB

Photo By Sgt. Blair Neelands | After completing the demanding 12-mile road march with 35 pounds on his back, a 1st Brigade Soldier checks in at the finish line before finally being awarding his Expert Infantryman Badge.  

FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES

11.09.2009

Story by Pfc. Blair Neelands 

1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — Nearly 500 Infantrymen of the 1st Brigade Combat Team put themselves to the test November 2, in an enduring week long competition for the opportunity to earn the most demanding badges a Soldier can receive.

"The badge signifies their caliber as an infantry Soldier," Explained Sgt. 1st Class Jose Morales, a platoon sergeant in B Company, 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment.

This is the first time the 1st BCT has conducted the Army's new EIB XXI training and testing where the Soldiers are put through more realistic combat lane testing.

"I think the way we are doing it now with the EIB XXI is much better than it used to be," said Sgt. Maj. David Shaw, 1st BCT operations Sergeant major. "It gives the Soldiers a chance to show their skills on a lane that is designed to look like combat."

In the past, the EIB testing allowed Soldiers to re-try a section if they failed, but the new standards are not as forgiving.

"EIB XXI is outcome based," Shaw explained. "The old way was station based; Soldiers had 30 stations with one task to accomplish at each. If you missed one step you received a "no go", and you had the chance to re-test that station, but with XXI you don't get the chance to re-test."

Now those 30 stations are combined in three separate combat oriented lanes. Each lane has 10 tasks for the Infantry Soldiers to complete. The Soldiers can receive two no-go's within the lanes, but receiving a third means he receives a no-go for that lane and is no longer in the running for his EIB.

By the end of the first day, many of the candidates walked away disappointed having not met the EIB standard for either the physical fitness test or the day and night land navigation courses. Fewer than one hundred Soldiers remained in the running for their badge.

From there, the infantry Soldiers fought through three more days of testing where they were physically and mentally challenged in an urban lane, a patrol lane and traffic control point.

"Once we got to the lanes I knew the guys could get through it," Shaw said. "In the lanes, it's a lot of the stuff they do every day."

Before finally being pinned with their badge, the Soldiers had one last obstacle to overcome — an arduous foot-numbing 12-mile road march in under three hours, carrying a 35 pound pack that began and ended the Magrath Physical Fitness Center.

As each Soldier came across the finishing line they were directed into the gym where their packs were inspected to make sure the candidate followed the correct packing list.

Exhausted from a week's worth of testing, all 62 Soldiers that began the road march stood tall in formation with blister covered feet and drenched in sweat ready to be pinned with their EIBs by the 1st BCT Commander, Col. Bill Burleson.

Enlisted, non-commissioned officers, as well as officers formed the ranks of 1st BCT's newest Soldiers to be called expert infantrymen.

Special recognition was given to 1st Lt. Richard Siemion, Headquarters and Headquarters company, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, and Pvt. William Oxner, B company, 1-87 , for displaying the attention to detail and skill to complete the testing perfectly. Also, Cpl. Samuel Gonzales, HHC, 2-22, was recognized for finishing first in the road march with a time of two hours and 12 minutes.

"You have truly set yourself apart as an expert infantryman," Burleson said to the formation of Soldiers at the award ceremony. "From now on, people are going to look at you a little bit differently. You need to set the example and lead the way. The EIB shows a mastery of skills, which all of you have."

For some Soldiers this was not their first attempt at the EIB, but they kept by their warrior ethos — never quit and can now wear their badge with pride. For others, they accomplished a great feat early on in their career and will only have endured EIB testing once.

"It speaks highly of their leadership and of that young Soldier that has the fortitude to go out there and compete," said Shaw. "I earned my EIB on my first try as a private. He has the potential to go a long way in the military; he could be a sergeant major bottom line."

The testing for this badge that so many Infantry Soldiers strive for began more than 60 years ago after it wasw approved by Secretary of War, Oct. 7, 1943. The office of Heraldic Activity of the Quartermaster General designed the rectangular badge and cast in infantry ligh blue with a 1795 model Springfield Arsenal musket superimposed on the front to represent the U.S. Infantry's tough, hard hitting role in combat and to symbolize proficiency in the Infantry arts.

• Date Taken: 11.09.2009
• Date Posted: 11.09.2009 15:11
• Story ID: 41313
• Location: FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US