More than 50 Soldiers from across the Nation have travelled to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, to attempt to earn the Expert Field Medical Badge from May 8-12, 2023. Media are invited to attend the awards ceremony at 9:20am on May 12. Media wishing to attend are asked to gather in the Fort McCoy Visitor Center parking lot by 08:50 am to convoy to the ceremony location.
The awards ceremony will be a dynamic event, with competitors who earned the badge being helicoptered to the ceremony site and entering the stage area through a smoke screen. A B-roll package of the competitors testing throughout the week will be available on DVIDs by 9am, with a link sent to all media outlets. There will be interview opportunities with competitors after the ceremony, along with an EFMB subject matter expert.
The EFMB is a badge qualification opportunity that brings together the best Soldiers from across the force to demonstrate their skills and earn the coveted badge. EFMB events are the utmost test of professional competence and physical endurance of the Soldier medic. The test comprises 144 hours of continuous operational events that test the mental and physical stamina as well as tactical and technical skills of medical Soldiers. The badge is considered a “portrait of excellence” in Army medicine and is the most sought-after peacetime award in the Army Medical community. Only three percent of the Army’s medical community has earned the badge, and the average pass rate for those testing is 19 percent, making it one of the most prestigious Army skill badges to earn. Competitors are evaluated on their individual ability to adapt to and overcome challenging scenarios and battle-focused events that test their technical and tactical abilities under stress and extreme fatigue.
The EFMB is an individual training event, but the Soldiers who compete come back and are models for success in their units, helping build cohesive trained and ready units. The competition inspires and promotes the desire to develop as tested professionals.
The EFMB focuses on training and exercises that enhance readiness for today’s operational environment. It showcases the ability of Soldiers to adapt and overcome any situation presented to them – to think on their feet in order to meet and exceed the task and objective.
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