FORT BENNING, Ga., (Nov.11 2015) -- More than 240 Soldiers from across the United States are competing at Fort Benning to earn the Expert Field Medical Badge, one of the most difficult skill badges to earn in the Army.
The badge is open to all medical personnel in the Army and is only awarded to those Soldiers who successfully complete a written test, land navigation, three combat testing lanes and a 12-mile ruck march.
"When we think of an expert in our field, we look to somebody who has the badge. That's the identifier of somebody who knows his craft," said Capt. Matthew Woods, HHC company commander and OIC for combat testing lane one.
Woods said when he sees someone who has earned the EFMB, the first thing that comes to mind is attention to detail.
"They have gone through the land navigation. They've gone through the ruck march and they've gone through these lanes. It means to me that they take their job seriously and that it means something to them to be in the medical field," he said.
The standards for earning the badge are high, Woods said. With a pass rate less than 20 percent, many Soldiers don't make the cut.
"In our lane, we've got 14 medical tasks and they have to pass 11 of the 14 to pass the EFMB and this lane," Woods said. "For each of those 14 tasks they have step-by-step performance measures they have to do in order to pass the task. If they miss one of those measures then they miss that task. Of those 14 tasks, if they miss three they are on thin ice. If they miss one more little task that's it. That's the whole badge and they're done."
Woods said it is important to keep the standards high because earning the badge means you have the knowledge it takes to save a life in the field.
"Outside of this, people's lives are at stake. We want to train people who have that attention to detail, who are doing things they are supposed to be doing that will save a life," Woods said.
Staff Sgt. Chris Burgos, battalion senior medic with Regimental Special Troops Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, is serving as NCOIC of the trauma lane. Burgos said during the test Soldiers are presented with stressors they would actually see in combat.
"These Soldiers are tired. They're hungry. They've been out here three weeks and they've had long days," Burgos said.
"We try to give as many stressors as possible to simulate what real-world medicine looks like, because when the bullets are flying and people are getting wounded everyone looks to the medic to treat the wounded."
Qualification tests began Nov. 8 and a graduation ceremony for Soldiers who pass and earn their badge will be held Nov. 13 at Fryar Drop Zone.
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