FORT STEWART, Ga., - At 4 a.m. Friday, it’s already a muggy 80 degrees on Fort Stewart.
Eighteen Expert Infantryman Badge candidates assigned to 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, unblouse their uniforms, don rucksacks and ballistic helmets and grab their assigned weapons before stepping to the intersection of William H. Wilson and 6th avenues.
The instant the digital clock on the sidewalk starts ticking, the candidates begin running in an attempt to gain quick purchase while they are rested on what will be a grueling 12-mile foot march along the roads and tank trails of the base.
Out of the 303 candidates who began EIB testing June 27, only these 18 remain to complete the final test. The candidates outpaced their infantryman counterparts throughout the week in the Army Physical Fitness Test, on day and night land navigation courses, and through urban, patrol and traffic control point lanes, each of which tested different core infantryman tasks.
Seconds after the digital clock strikes two hours and 37 minutes, Staff Sgt. David J. Tirko, assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, runs across the finish line to foreshadow a success that his fellow competitors will soon experience.
After the last of the 18 candidates crossed the line and each of the Soldier’s rucksacks were inspected to ensure they contained the items mandated by the packing list, the candidates drank water and readied themselves to be pinned with the iconic infantry blue EIB badge.
“It’s a great feeling of accomplishment,” said Sgt. Robert M. Nugent, assigned to Company A, 2nd Bat., 7th Inf. Regt., after he completed the foot march. “[The EIB is] an awesome badge because you actually earn it. You’ve got to put work into it.”
Colonel James R. Crider, commander of 1HBCT, completed Friday’s foot march with the candidates and said he couldn’t be more proud of his Soldiers and leaders.
“The EIB is not easy to get,” Col. Crider said at the awards ceremony. “It starts with having a lot of desire and having a big heart.”
“They wanted it, and they put in the time and effort,” Col. Crider continued. “Today, and for the rest of their careers they’re going to reap the benefits of that.”
EIB awardees included: Capt. Timothy A. Iannacone, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment; 1st Lt. Robert G. Burchett; 1st Lt. Michael J. Murphy; 2nd Lt. Charles A. Thompson; 2nd Lt. Adam K. Schwartz; Pvt. Isaak A. Moser and Pvt. Montana J. Wilkins of Company A, 3/69 Armor Regt.; Staff Sgt. Jesse E. Lujan of Company B, 3/69th Armor Regt.; 1st Lt. James L. Napper, 1st Lt. David M. Martin, 2nd Lt. Matt R. McCullar, Staff Sgt. David J. Tirko, Staff Sgt. Benjamin L. Forsythe, Sgt. Robert M. Nugent, Spc. Peter K. Hebe and Spc. Daniel R. Sullivan of Company A, 2/7th Inf. Regt.; Sgt. Erik L. Andon and Pfc. Alexander Miller of Company B, 2/7th Inf. Regt.
Private Wilkins, who earned the EIB on his second attempt, said he is proud of his accomplishment.
“It’s a great day to be an infantryman,” Pvt. Wilkins said.
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