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Expert Infantryman Badge
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The Expert Infantryman Badge, or EIB, is a military badge of the United States Army. Although similar in name and appearance to the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB), it is a completely different award: while the CIB is awarded for participation in ground combat, the EIB is presented for completion of a course of testing designed to demonstrate proficiency in infantry skills.
The EIB was first created in October 1943. Currently, it is awarded to U.S.
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Encyclopedia
The Expert Infantryman Badge, or EIB, is a military badge of the United States Army. Although similar in name and appearance to the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB), it is a completely different award: while the CIB is awarded for participation in ground combat, the EIB is presented for completion of a course of testing designed to demonstrate proficiency in infantry skills.
The EIB was first created in October 1943. Currently, it is awarded to U.S. Army personnel who hold infantry or special forces military occupational specialties. To be awarded the EIB, the soldier must complete a number of prerequisites and pass a battery of graded tests on basic infantry skills; usually the testing phase is the culmination of weeks of training. The EIB test is administered on the average once per year with pass rates usually between 5 and 10 percent, depending on the unit conducting testing.
Personnel who have been awarded both the EIB and the CIB are not authorized to wear both decorations simultaneously. In such cases, the CIB has precedence according to Army Regulation 670-1. However, while the CIB may have precedence, holders of both may choose to wear the EIB instead of the CIB.
A similar decoration exists for medical personnel, known as the Expert Field Medical Badge. Personnel designated MOS 18D (Special Forces - Medical Specialist) cannot receive the EIB or CIB, but can qualify for the EFMB or CMB.
Modern Requirements (2000's)
Army Physical Fitness Test: score at least 75 points in all events according to the candidate's age group;
Land navigation: complete a day and a night land navigation course;
Weapon qualification: earn an "expert" qualification on their assigned weapon, typically an M16/M4; in the case of mortarmen (MOS 11C) expert qualification on the mortar is an additional requirement.
Forced road march: complete a 12-mile road march, carrying M4 and 35 lb. load + extra gear for a total of up to 70 lbs, within three hours
Lane or station testing in individual tasks, graded as pass/fail ("GO"/"NO GO"). There are approximately 30-35 stations in this phase. Candidates must pass every station; if they receive a "NO GO" on their first attempt, they have one chance to retest. A second "NO GO" at any station results in a failure for the entire testing phase. In addition, if a candidate receives 3 "NO GO"s (even if distributed over three stations) they have similarly failed the phase. Generally there are multiple stations in all the following areas (less common/defunct tasks in italics):
- First Aid
- Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) procedures
- Call for fire (indirect fire)
- Techniques for movement under fire, camouflage, hand-signalling, range estimation, and reporting contact to higher headquarters
- Communications: competency with ASIP and SINGARS field radios and procedures
- Map reading: terrain identification, use of military GPS
- Weapons proficiency: load, unload, perform function checks, clear, correct malfunctions, etc. for M9, M16/M4, M203, M249, M240B, M60, M2, Mk 19, AT4, Javelin; employ hand grenades, Claymore, and anti-tank mines
- Proficiency with night vision devices
- Boresighting proficiency
Terminology and Ritual
While training in basic skills is a major goal of the EIB program, the EIB institution additionally provides an area of common experience and vocabulary across the infantry in the US Army.
Sociologically, the testing phase especially acts as a rite of passage for many infantrymen. The period of testing usually stretches over several days, with the number of candidates remaining steadily dwindling and pressure similarly increasing. Traditionally, Hand Grenades (where the candidate has five grenades to hit three different targets) and Call for Fire are considered the most difficult.
There is a specific slang vocabulary associated with EIB testing. Graders at each station usually have EIB's themselves; a badge protector is therefore a particularly difficult grader, perceived to be protecting the status of the award which he holds. Graders typically carry a blue pen to mark "GO"s and a red pen to mark "NO GO"s; to complete the entire phase without a single NO GO is therefore to go true blue. Similarly, if a candidate has two "NO GO"s he is said to be blade running; any mistake will eliminate him. Usually if you make a mistake and time has not run out, the grader will tell the candidate "you still have time remaining", which is a clue that you have something wrong. On occasion the grader will do this to mess with the candidate even though everything is correct which completes the right of passage. If a person has to deal with an infantry soldier and they get something wrong it is common to say "you still have time remaining" to clue them into the fact that they need to do something different.
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