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BAUMHOLDER, Germany — Twenty-one medics from the 21st Theater Sustainment Command competed for the notoriously difficult Expert Field Medical Badge qualification badge June 7 to 12 at the Baumholder Training Area here.
One of the hardest badges to earn in the Army, the average pass rate for EFMB is 10 to 15 percent. As of Day Four, the 21st TSC had a pass rate above 40 percent, said Master Sgt. Michael Binosa, the senior medical non-commissioned
officer from the 21st TSC Surgeon’s Office.
Sergeant Binosa was also one of the board members who oversaw the set up and validation of this year’s EFMB course at Baumholder.
The candidates, from across U.S. Army Europe, arrived at the testing site the week prior to undergo a week-long train up.
“It’s been better than previous EFMBs in that we had a train up week, but it’s been 10 times more exhausting because of the train up week,” said Sgt. Stephen Hicks, a medic with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 16th Sustainment Brigade, 21st TSC, who is on his third attempt to earn the EFMB. “However, it helped out a lot because obviously we still have a lot of people left in the competition.”
The Soldiers were required to earn GOs in all events. They had to receive GOs on three different combat testing lanes, which tested medical abilities and warrior tasks and drills. They also had to pass the day and night portion of land
navigation, pass a written test and complete the timed 12-mile road march.
Although the candidates will be given two opportunities to pass the written test, if they receive a NO GO on any of the lanes or fail to pass the land navigation portion or the road march, they are immediately disqualified from earning the EFMB.
“It’s not difficult tasks. It’s tediousness that you have to do everything in a specific sequence, and if you miss one tiny step — one task could have 160 sub tasks — you miss the whole thing,” said Spc. Dayna Taylor, a medic with the 529th Military Police Company, 95th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, 21st TSC.
Despite the grueling ordeal, the right to wear the EFMB is something that all of the Soldiers felt was worth it.
“I already have good faith in my medical skills, but with the EFMB I can put faith in other people that I will be there when they need me the most,” said Pvt. James Hogan, a medic with the 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, who has only been in the Army for about a year and a half. “This just proves that I can be their medic.”
For Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Hardiak, the medical operations non-commissioned officer for the 16th Sustainment Brigade and NCOIC at EFMB Testing Lane 3,
it reminded him of how he felt when he earned his badge.
“When I received it, I was a private first class at the time. I think people looked at me differently and I felt different about myself,” he said. “I think for these medics it’s the same thing. I think that they have gone through a lot. It’s tough. It’s a lot of hard work and to actually get something — that’s pretty prestigious. It says a lot about your character. It means a lot about who you are as a person, as a Soldier and as a medic.”
Soldiers who met all the challenges of EFMB received their badges in a ceremony June 12 at Smith Barracks in Baumholder after completing the 12-mile ruck march. Six 21st TSC Soldiers met the challenge and earned the coveted badge.
“They are part of something bigger than themselves. They are associating themselves with excellence,” Sergeant Binosa said. “I’m extremely proud of them for all of their hard work and dedication to come out here and their unit that supported them coming out here.”
