1st Battalion 22nd Infantry EIB Qualification July 2013

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – 1st Lt. Eric Berce, platoon leader, Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment,
1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, completes a 12-mile foot march during Expert Infantryman Badge
qualifications at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, July 27, 2013.

Photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office

Infantrymen display excellence during EIB

Published July 30, 2013 by Spc. Andrew Ingram

1stArmored Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office

UDAIRI RANGE, Kuwait – "When I crossed that finish line, it felt amazing; like all of the work I'd put in since getting to
Camp Buehring had paid off," said Pfc. Brett Kroen, after completing a 12-mile foot march, the final event of the
Expert Infantryman Badge qualifications, at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, July 27.

Kroen, infantryman, Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team,
4th Infantry Division, began the qualification alongside 261 Soldiers from units deployed throughout Kuwait.
Only 51 of those infantrymen crossed the finish line under the 3-hour time limit to earn the badge.

In the week leading up to the road march, infantrymen displayed their physical prowess during a physical fitness test,
technical expertise during a land navigation course, and tactical proficiencies during simulated individual combat scenarios.

"The great thing about this iteration of the EIB is that we have Soldiers from all levels of the formation," said
Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Edwards, senior enlisted leader, 1st Bn., 22nd Inf. Reg. "We've got master sergeants and captains,
but the ones I love to see are the young privates succeed. That tells me as a senior leader that my Soldiers have an excellent grasp
on their skills. It's difficult for Soldiers to be away from their Families, but out here we have been able to focus on improving as infantrymen."

To protect Soldiers from debilitating desert heat, the bulk of the Camp Buehring EIB qualifications took place during hours of darkness.

Executing tactical lanes in the dark also added a level of realism to the experience, said Edwards, who organized and oversaw the event.

"As a Soldier you want to own the night," he said. " In Afghanistan, Soldiers must execute many of the skills and tasks we validate
during EIB while on mission during hours of limited visibility, so I believe this is the best way to conduct the event."

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – Spc. Joshua Strickland,
infantryman, Company B, 1st Battalion,
22nd Infantry Regiment,
1st Armored Brigade Combat Team,
4th Infantry Division, applies a bandage
to a simulated casualty while completing
the urban assault lane during
Expert Infantryman Badge qualifications
at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, July 24, 2013.

Photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram
1st Armored Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office

As the week progressed many of the original 261 candidates began to fall by the wayside; some during the PT test,
others due to mistakes made during validation lanes.

Good training, attention to detail, and determination to complete the week-long gauntlet, were what it took to earn the badge, said Kroen.

"I have a very competitive nature, so if I have to do something like this, I put my heart into it," Kroen said.
"Both my legs cramped up during the last mile of the ruck march, but I worked through the pain and drove on.
There was no way I was going to quit so close to the end."

Candidates who successfully completed all of the events received their EIBs during a ceremony, shortly after completing the road march.

"This is an awesome achievement for me," said Sgt. Ryan Beckmann, infantrymen, Company B, 1st Bn., 22nd Inf. Reg.
"There was definitely some pain and stress involved but this is an accomplishment that no one can take away from me,
and I am proud of myself and all of the infantrymen who went through this with me."

Beckmann added that he believed earning the badge will help him set an example and mentor his Soldiers.

The Army originally awarded the EIB to 10 noncommissioned officers in 1944, after a three day competition, in order
to build esprit de corps and pride within a career field that few wished to join due to the missions and high level of danger
infantrymen are likely to experience.

Nearly 70 years later the infantrymen still undergo the challenge, to set themselves apart from their peers, and set a standard
for their fellow Soldiers to strive for, said Command Sgt. Maj. Stephan Frennier, senior enlisted leader,
3rd Army and U.S. Army Central Command.

"The Expert Infantrymen Badge is the hardest individual award that an infantrymen can earn," Frennier told the EIB recipients
during their awards ceremony. "You 51 great infantrymen have proven your competency, your character and your commitment.
You are the future of our infantry, and I commend you for this accomplishment."

Photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office