Posted on 05/18/2006 5:19:10 PM PDT by SandRat
INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. (Army News Service, May 18, 2006) - Soldiers can serve on the battlefield with confidence knowing the world’s best medics are there to help if they become injured.
The best of the best of these Soldiers wear a badge that identifies them as the cream of the Army's medical crop - the Expert Field Medical Badge.
Only 18 of 250 candidates earned the badge at the Army’s largest EFMB testing session, which took place May 12 at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa.
The low number might seem alarming, but it is a testament to the badge's demanding criteria. Since 1986, about 96,000 Soldiers have competed for the EFMB, but only about 21,000 earned it. This is about a 22 percent pass rate.
"It's one of the most difficult badges to earn in the Army," said Sgt. Maj. Everett Bivens of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command operations. "With Iraq and everything else going on, it's more important than ever for them to excel at taking care of the fallen on the battlefield."
"I believe this is the hardest badge to earn, therefore it shows great accomplishment and it distinguishes you from others," said Sgt. Hyun Kim, a biomedical operations specialist from Fort Detrick who earned an EFMB during this round of testing.
The purpose of the EFMB is "To provide tangible recognition for the attainment of a high degree of technical skill in performance of field medical activities," said Col. Donald Hall, chief of NARMC OPS.
Before heading to the field testing lanes, EFMB candidates must pass a 100-question written exam. Passing the exam shows that the candidates have a firm grasp of the theory and basic medical concepts they need to succeed in the field. This year, 143 Soldiers passed the test and advanced to the field portion of the test.
In the field, candidates carry their rucksacks through each testing lane. Each wears a ballistic helmet and load carrying equipment, and carries their mission-oriented protective posture gear and M-16/M-4 series rifle.
On the lanes, candidates performed a series of hands-on field tasks, which included proper evacuation of sick and wounded, emergency medical treatment and various common skills tasks.
Screams for help echoed through the forest as simulated casualties lay waiting for the candidates to assist them. The casualties suffered from various battlefield wounds - from open chest wounds and possible spinal injuries to combat shock and post traumatic stress disorder.
Candidates also completed a litter obstacle course, as well as a day and night land navigation course.
During the litter obstacle course, teams of four candidates carried a Soldier on a litter over a variety of obstacles including a low and a high wall, a low-crawl under barbed wire, a series of narrow bridges, rocky and muddy hills, and a trench with waist-deep water.
As if the obstacle course wasn't difficult enough, there were ambushes by an opposing force along the way.
At the end of each day, worn and battered Soldiers wearily marched back to their base camp for chow and the comfort of their cots and tents.
Each day, the number of candidates competing for the badge shrank. Spirit and morale was tested.
Capping off an exhausting week of field testing, remaining candidates faced a grueling, 12-mile road march.
"My desire for the badge provided the motivation to stay mentally focused," Kim said of what kept him on course to earn the badge.
"The combat lane format made it very difficult during testing," said Capt. Henry Deiters, a physical therapist from Fort Bragg's Womack Army Medical Center. "Unlike (common task) testing, where you have one task at a time, with the lane testing you have up to 15 tasks in a row that you have to perform to the standard."
Despite the distractions, Dieters kept focused, though; his efforts paid off when he was awarded an EFMB before heading back to North Carolina.
Deiters, like many other Soldiers, said he expects to deploy within the next 12 months. "My section chief, Lt. Col. Daniel Jayne, wanted me to attend as a train-up for the upcoming deployment," he said. "Having deployed as the first (physical therapist) to go with a (brigade combat team), (Jayne) knows that anybody who wears the medical caduceus on their collar is expected to know the basic medical skills taught and tested at EFMB, and he was absolutely correct!"
The conditions the EFMB candidates faced are similar to those of Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. Farmer, commander of NARMC and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
"This is our No. 1 mission – readiness. Readiness to deploy and provide life-saving medical care anytime, any place, under any conditions,” Farmer told candidates and cadre at the closing ceremony.
"As I walk around and visit patients at Walter Reed, they often tell me how a combat medic literally saved their life," Farmer said.
(Editor's note: Michael E. Dukes is the senior medical writer for Walter Reed Army Medical Center.)
PING
Great article, thanks.
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Combat Medic Prayer |
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Very impressive.
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