Posted on Apr 2, 2017
Inside the Army's plan for the new Expert Action Badge
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Should they share the badge? To share or not to share...
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You’ve heard of the Expert Infantryman Badge and Expert Field Medical Badge, as well as the Combat Infantryman Badge and its cousin, the Combat Action Badge.
Now, the Army is toying with the idea of another expert badge, specifically for everyone who isn’t an infantryman or a combat medic.
The Expert Action Badge would test general soldier skills, Sergeant Major of the Army Dan Dailey told Army Times, similar to how the EIB and EFMB test core infantry and combat medic proficiency outside of deployments.
“I want to build individual skills,” Dailey said. “The reason why we have an EIB and EFMB is so those two fields can maintain their skills during peacetime.”
Offering testing and a badge is a good way to incentivize soldiers and units to train and remain proficient, Dailey said.
Command Sgt. Maj. David Davenport, the top enlisted soldier at Training and Doctrine Command, went public with the plan on March 24. Initial reactions from soldiers and veterans were mixed, and Army Times was flooded with nearly 500 reader comments about the move.
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▪▪▪▪☆▪▪▪▪☆▪▪▪▪☆▪▪▪▪
You’ve heard of the Expert Infantryman Badge and Expert Field Medical Badge, as well as the Combat Infantryman Badge and its cousin, the Combat Action Badge.
Now, the Army is toying with the idea of another expert badge, specifically for everyone who isn’t an infantryman or a combat medic.
The Expert Action Badge would test general soldier skills, Sergeant Major of the Army Dan Dailey told Army Times, similar to how the EIB and EFMB test core infantry and combat medic proficiency outside of deployments.
“I want to build individual skills,” Dailey said. “The reason why we have an EIB and EFMB is so those two fields can maintain their skills during peacetime.”
Offering testing and a badge is a good way to incentivize soldiers and units to train and remain proficient, Dailey said.
Command Sgt. Maj. David Davenport, the top enlisted soldier at Training and Doctrine Command, went public with the plan on March 24. Initial reactions from soldiers and veterans were mixed, and Army Times was flooded with nearly 500 reader comments about the move.
...
Inside the Army's plan for the new Expert Action Badge
Posted from armytimes.com
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Posted 7 y ago
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I think returning our focus to basic Soldiering, even for the "leaf eaters" is a good thing. We spend far too much time on things unrelated to us being an effective and lethal fighting force. I have personally met Soldiers that I would not want to hand a rifle to, let alone be in a firefight with. Such a move, however, will require some substantial changes in training priorities. Elimination or reduction of much of the AR 350-1 requirements would probably be a good start. In the Reserve Component I would argue most support Soldiers spend more time in SHARP, EO, law of war, etc. training than they do on weapons PMI. It's not that those programs aren't important, but they shouldn't be more important than our ability to wage war.
With all that said, I think the badge is silly. Army Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills are something we expect every Soldier to be able to do. The EIB and EFMB were designed specifically to recognize Infantrymen and Docs above their peers for demonstrating expertise in their challenging career fields. Not everybody needs or deserves a badge. Then again I think some of our existing badges are kind of silly too. For example do we really need a career counselor badge, space badge, or instructor badge?
With all that said, I think the badge is silly. Army Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills are something we expect every Soldier to be able to do. The EIB and EFMB were designed specifically to recognize Infantrymen and Docs above their peers for demonstrating expertise in their challenging career fields. Not everybody needs or deserves a badge. Then again I think some of our existing badges are kind of silly too. For example do we really need a career counselor badge, space badge, or instructor badge?
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I guess my older,deceased Senior Master Sergeant who was in the Airforce at the time was right after seeing me return from Vietnam in my dress greens with Infantry Blue Cord various Service ribbons and CIB by saying that I looked like a door man at some New York hotel,seems like his statement is coming true,as I've said before ,he always was a pain in the ass ,God rest his Soul.
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Everyone like to be recognized, and badges let you do that. If you think it's a good idea to have 1 badge to recognize an achievement or skill, then you should support all badges. One does not "water down" the other, it just means that others don't like to share the recognition. I understand the dangers and commitment of an infantry man/woman, but without the rest of the army, what good are they? I think that the army is heading towards having occupational badges, jut like the AF.
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MSG David Johnson
When I went through BNCOC there were 5 Combat Arms branches. Eventually the 12 Series was moved to combat support, but as a career Soldier of the 12/21 series I still saw myself as a combat arms Soldier.
Was I envious of those in the Infantry who had the CIB/EIB, yeah, I was, but as a Combat Engineer I loved my job. Even the cool guys in Stetsons and Spurs, yeah, they're cool, but the tests to go through to earn them separate the men from the boys (not literally), but an example.
When the CAB came in to being it was designed to differentiate between those who were actually in the fight, rather than someone who's job never took them outside the wire. The CIB is for the Infantry specifically, it says it right there Combat Infantry Badge. I'm told that at one time there was something for tankers because they were right up there with the grunts a lot of the times.
Now there are those who say the CAB was designed because a General wanted to be able to wear another piece of shiny on their uniform. But I was glad that there was a way to differentiate between those who had been in the fight, and those who were not. Was it abused, damned right it was.
My last tour in Iraq was in Ramadi working for the Marines, we were route clearance. Was it a good chance that an IED was going to go off near us? Yep, in the beginning just about every time we went outside the wir we encountered IED's. When we took over the mission in Ramadi we were warned about those who wanted to go out and "earn" their CAB by being blown up, or getting shot at (inside an armored truck), they were called CAB Rides. We would have our usual tasking for the mission and then shortly before we SP'd we would get told that Major Smith, or Col Mustard was going out with us as an "observer". We all knew why they were there, they wanted this shiny piece of medal, but didn't want, or often times couldn't, go outside the wire.
Did we like them? Sometimes, if they were intelligent enough to realize what we were doing was pretty dangerous, but there were those who would just babble on, and on, and on, while we were trying to do our job. It a bit distracting to an E6 who is in charge of that vehicle to constantly answer questions from a field grade officer who's "just along for the ride", and thinks his rank gives him/her special privileges. But most of them were pretty cool about the mission and realized that rank meant very little inside that Buffalo that was scratching the ground to see if there is a buried wire.
This is the kind of mind set the military is going through now, like the time all 101st Soldiers were told they could not wear their combat patches because it made new troops feel inferior because they didn't have one too. (That order didn't last long).
So now that there are more Soldiers manning the front lines, by front lines I'm referring to the ground in arms reach around you, and not just the door kickers and the medics who are with them out of necessity. The ones that may catch a bullet because they are out there with very little cover.
Do I think they deserve to be recognized? Absolutely! But, here's the downside to the CIB, and the CMB, you have to have a specific MOS to receive them. Where now, the CAB, is an award that any MOS can qualify for. And if any MOS qualify for the CAB then they should have to prove they are deserving of the peace time version of the award, the Expert Action Badge, or whatever they are going to be calling it.
I see arguments on both sides of the aisle, the CAB is supposed to be awarded to any Soldier who is awarded the Purple Heart.
But then I look back on the "CAB Rides", it might be the only time that person leaves the wire other than to fly in and out for R&R, or redeployment.
I disliked the CAB rides, but they were never in the CASEVAC vehicle, my truck, they had to be in the truck that is most likely to take a blast, just so they can puff out their chest and say, "Yep, I earned it, I was in a truck that got blown up by an IED.
I'm sure there are others who have more of an opinion than I do, I think they are good for troop morale, about 60%.
Sorry, I got a little long winded here, it's hard to tell when you're typing on a small screen.
Was I envious of those in the Infantry who had the CIB/EIB, yeah, I was, but as a Combat Engineer I loved my job. Even the cool guys in Stetsons and Spurs, yeah, they're cool, but the tests to go through to earn them separate the men from the boys (not literally), but an example.
When the CAB came in to being it was designed to differentiate between those who were actually in the fight, rather than someone who's job never took them outside the wire. The CIB is for the Infantry specifically, it says it right there Combat Infantry Badge. I'm told that at one time there was something for tankers because they were right up there with the grunts a lot of the times.
Now there are those who say the CAB was designed because a General wanted to be able to wear another piece of shiny on their uniform. But I was glad that there was a way to differentiate between those who had been in the fight, and those who were not. Was it abused, damned right it was.
My last tour in Iraq was in Ramadi working for the Marines, we were route clearance. Was it a good chance that an IED was going to go off near us? Yep, in the beginning just about every time we went outside the wir we encountered IED's. When we took over the mission in Ramadi we were warned about those who wanted to go out and "earn" their CAB by being blown up, or getting shot at (inside an armored truck), they were called CAB Rides. We would have our usual tasking for the mission and then shortly before we SP'd we would get told that Major Smith, or Col Mustard was going out with us as an "observer". We all knew why they were there, they wanted this shiny piece of medal, but didn't want, or often times couldn't, go outside the wire.
Did we like them? Sometimes, if they were intelligent enough to realize what we were doing was pretty dangerous, but there were those who would just babble on, and on, and on, while we were trying to do our job. It a bit distracting to an E6 who is in charge of that vehicle to constantly answer questions from a field grade officer who's "just along for the ride", and thinks his rank gives him/her special privileges. But most of them were pretty cool about the mission and realized that rank meant very little inside that Buffalo that was scratching the ground to see if there is a buried wire.
This is the kind of mind set the military is going through now, like the time all 101st Soldiers were told they could not wear their combat patches because it made new troops feel inferior because they didn't have one too. (That order didn't last long).
So now that there are more Soldiers manning the front lines, by front lines I'm referring to the ground in arms reach around you, and not just the door kickers and the medics who are with them out of necessity. The ones that may catch a bullet because they are out there with very little cover.
Do I think they deserve to be recognized? Absolutely! But, here's the downside to the CIB, and the CMB, you have to have a specific MOS to receive them. Where now, the CAB, is an award that any MOS can qualify for. And if any MOS qualify for the CAB then they should have to prove they are deserving of the peace time version of the award, the Expert Action Badge, or whatever they are going to be calling it.
I see arguments on both sides of the aisle, the CAB is supposed to be awarded to any Soldier who is awarded the Purple Heart.
But then I look back on the "CAB Rides", it might be the only time that person leaves the wire other than to fly in and out for R&R, or redeployment.
I disliked the CAB rides, but they were never in the CASEVAC vehicle, my truck, they had to be in the truck that is most likely to take a blast, just so they can puff out their chest and say, "Yep, I earned it, I was in a truck that got blown up by an IED.
I'm sure there are others who have more of an opinion than I do, I think they are good for troop morale, about 60%.
Sorry, I got a little long winded here, it's hard to tell when you're typing on a small screen.
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