The demand for contracting support has never been higher, and Soldiers with technical and tactical skills in theater continue to demonstrate their value to combatant command operations.
Twenty U.S. Army Contracting Command Soldiers qualified to wear the Master Combat Badge this spring as part of the U.S. Army’s latest program to award and recognize personnel who have been awarded any Expert Badge and any Combat Badge in any combination. The Master Combat Badge indicates that the Soldier wearing the new device has had both a combat award and achieved expert qualification within their military occupational specialty.
As the Army's principal buying agent, ACC supports Army readiness and modernization by using best practices and expert-level oversight to provide warfighters with premier contracting support. The command accomplishes its global operational missions with a professional workforce of Soldiers, Department of the Army civilians, foreign local nationals and contractors at more than 100 locations worldwide.
Previously, Soldiers were not authorized to wear both their combat badge and their expert badge for their job field simultaneously. This new badge, which features a gold wreath, allows them to showcase and recognize both.
“An expert badge is a symbol of technical proficiency, and a combat badge is a symbol of boots-on-the-ground tactical experience. This new badge reflects both of those ideals and recognizes the commitment of those who have earned it,” said Maj. Gen. Doug Lowrey, ACC commanding general and a recipient of the Master Combat Action Badge himself.
This recognition further underscores ACC’s expeditionary support mission. ACC supports approximately 180 expeditionary missions in 50 countries each year; with a capability to deploy anywhere in the world on short notice to provide operational contract support planning, contract policy and oversight, contract execution, contract administration, contract surveillance in support of deployed forces and contract closeout.
The Combat Infantryman Badge is awarded to infantry Soldiers and Army Special Forces who’ve experienced direct action against an enemy. While the Expert Infantry Badge is awarded after a Soldier passes a litany of tests that measure their effectiveness in infantry skills. The Combat Infantryman Badge dates back to World War II and was introduced to elevate the infantry's prestige.
In 2005, the Combat Action Badge was introduced, effectively the same award as its infantry counterpart, but for Soldiers in all other occupations, spurred after cavalry and tank units played a key role in the invasion of Iraq.
Expert badges have been a greater priority across units in recent years, particularly after the introduction of the Expert Soldier Badge in 2019, which opened up that prestigious type of badge to troops from all occupations. The test to earn it is the same as for the decades-old Expert Infantryman Badge, but allows Soldiers outside of the infantry or medical field to receive a badge.
The service doubled the number of promotion points those expert badges are worth in 2022, signaling the priority for unit commanders to have their Soldiers test for them.
Of the ACC recipients, 16 qualified for the MCIB, 3 Soldiers were awarded the Master Combat Action Badge (MCAB) and 1 was awarded the Master Combat Medical Badge (MCMB).
Col. Isaac Torres, commander of the 414th Contracting Support Brigade, and Lt. Col. Cory Buria, commander of the 409th Contracting Support Brigade, were both recipients of the Master Combat Badge. They both credited the amazing servicemen and women that invested in them, advised them, and followed them in battle as the reasons for their continued success.
“I’m proud to have led and served alongside incredible Soldiers in both training and in combat. The MCIB reflects that service and is a small symbol to inspire the next generation,” Torres said.
The 20 Master Combat Badge qualified Soldiers from ACC are:
MAJ AUSTIN JACOB E
LTC BURIA CORY LEE
LTC DELASSUS DAVID JOSEPH
SFC GOODIN JAKE THOMAS
MAJ HAMILL JR PETER V
LTC HAMMOND DEVIN K
MAJ HOLLY MICHAEL W
LTC HONG DAVID K
MSG LAWES CHRISTIAAN DEVALLE
MG LOWREY DOUGLAS SCOTT
MSG MEMIC ENES
COL MILLER BURR HANS
SFC MUNRO SHAWN THOMAS
MSG PATERA ANTHONY MICHAEL
LTC PRUITT JERMAINE CARLTON
MAJ SCHREINER WILLIAM BRANDON
SFC SIMMONS JASON ANDREW
SFC SOHN MICHAEL JUNGWON
COL TORRES ISAAC MISAEL
MAJ VANCE DAVID THOMAS
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