Posted on Jun 16, 2015
Should the EIB/EFMB be changed to become a true qualification?
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This came up in another thread about the Unit Commander making everyone remove all badges for training.
Should the EIB/EFMB which is currently a one time event to permanent award of the badge be changed to be more inline with the marksmanship badges where you must re-qualify every X period to maintain the badge and title of "expert"
Being a AF Guy, I have no skin in the game, it came up so I thought I would as RP!
Should the EIB/EFMB which is currently a one time event to permanent award of the badge be changed to be more inline with the marksmanship badges where you must re-qualify every X period to maintain the badge and title of "expert"
Being a AF Guy, I have no skin in the game, it came up so I thought I would as RP!
Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB)
Expert Field Medical Badge EFMB
Badges
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 65
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In the Navy we have warfare designator for almost every community. To earn them a Sailor has to complete written and practical tests as well as pass an oral board. Some are more difficult than others but if you transfer to another community you have to requal when you return. For example; I'm a Seabee, I earned a Seabee Combat Warfare (BN) designator. If I PCS to anywhere other than another Seabee battalion I have to requal within 6 months of returning to battalion. Even if I transfer within the Seabee community I need to Qual with the new unit for unit specific items. Same goes for all of the warfare communities in yhe Navy. So yall Army guys,--- quit ur bitchin...
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TSgt Joshua Copeland
CPO Gregory Smith, several of my step dads were Navy and I have heard horror stories of those warfare designator boards!
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CPO Gregory Smith
By instruction the oral board is only supposed to be two hours. I've seen them go as long as five. Mine was 3 1/2. Some units skirt the instruction by giving Sailors a task binder to do convoy plans, comm plans, camp layouts and that kind of stuff. Usually the candidate gets 24 hours to complete the tasking but just like in real life, someone will give the candidate an "updated sitrep" every two or three hours so they have to start all over. By the time they actually stand before the board they've been at it for at least 36 hours. We train how we fight!!!
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When I was a drill sergeant at Fort Benning, I used to wonder why we didn't do an EIB test during FTX. Everything we did was geared toward teaching the same tasks. What better way to see if the Soldiers retained the knowledge?!
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Since these are already rigorous badges to earn, I don't think a full requal should be required. However I do think that Soldiers should have to show EIB/ EFMB level skills on new equipment and tactics. For example, I earned my EIB when the M60 and Dragon (anti-tank weapon) were standard equipment. I should now have to test out on the M240B and Javelin in order to keep the badge.
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Hell no when I got my EIB at Ft Bragg June 1978 ,38 of us tested 3 of us were worthy and I do mean worthy(1 Sgt &me and another SP4) as the gates are guarded by those who wear it proudly,that's what makes it so damn hard to get.......
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As someone who earned the EIB, I think that is wrong. If you make that badge a qualification, you should make all badges qualifications. So, the ranger tab should be re-earned every four years? That would thin the ranks of the older rangers, wouldn't it. Should a CIB be taken away if there is another active war to earn one in? You have a qualification test. It was called the skills test. I am tired of every "new" commander thinking that his way is far superior than his predecessors. These egocentric people only care about their personal glory and not about tradition. I earned my EIB almost 40 years ago. Back when this "commander" was in diapers. Wanna mess with my Drill Sergeants Badge? "This we'll defend"!
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As someone who proudly earned his EIB the first time out, I can say that it should be a permanent award/badge just like my jump wings were, it's like saying if you earn the parachutist badge and are not in an active airborne unit that you should not be allowed to wear it. The Army has changed so much since I left and it's become way too PC and I believe that has tremendously hurt the combat-readiness and morale of most units, sad but true. I appreciate the sacrifices made by our brave men and women in uniform but politics has NO PLACE among the ranks...PERIOD!
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SFC (Join to see)
Yes, I earned my EIB first time out. After the grueling road march I set my goal to earn the EIB. The same with jump wings. However, I will say something about the jump wing controversy. Some commanders back in the day mandated that if you were not on jump status you did not wear jump wings, except class A uniform, no bloused boots and some refused to let us wear Cochran jump boots, we had to wear issue. This made many of us a little pissed off. The Army assigns in accordance with needs not necessarily because personnel are qualified in other areas. In other words just because a soldier has earned wings, tab, patch or other skill badges that soldier may well be assigned to a leg unit.
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I earned my EIB in 1965 and wore it with pride on my uniform even after the award of the CIB. Once you earn the EIB/EFMB it's yours. No I don't believe in re-qualifying every few months or couple years.
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