RICHMOND, Va. – Staff Sgt. Alex Miller, assigned to the Virginia National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, earned the coveted Expert Infantryman Badge during testing with the 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia.
Miller, the only Soldier from the Lynchburg-based 116th IBCT to participate in the testing, said the badge “signifies the mastery of critical tasks that every infantryman should know and be able to accomplish.”
The EIB was developed in 1944, under the guidance of Gen. George C. Marshall, the chief of staff of the Army, to recognize individual infantrymen who had achieved the pinnacle of proficiency and expertise in infantry tactics while building and maintaining esprit de corps in the infantry community.
Today, the EIB is awarded to Soldiers holding infantry or special forces military occupational specialties who demonstrate mastery of critical tasks that build on the foundation of individual proficiency, accomplishing the mission of every infantry Soldier: to locate, close with and destroy the enemy.
Miller attended testing with the Old Guard in March to be part of the cadre team when his unit conducted the EIB during annual training.
“I made the decision so that, if for some reason, I did not pass, I would have another opportunity in the summer, but if I did pass, I would be able to be a grader for the upcoming Expert Infantryman/Expert Soldier Badge testing at Fort Barfoot during AT,” Miller said.
Inspired by his family’s long legacy of service, Miller enlisted in the Virginia Army National Guard as an infantryman in 2013. He said attempting to earn the EIB was not something he went into lightly.
“Earning the EIB is physically and mentally demanding,” Miller said. “That is why, when you look around the formation, there are only a small number of people who have accomplished the task, and that is what interested and motivated me to pursue the EIB.”
For a Soldier to earn the EIB, they must demonstrate not just proficiency but mastery of key infantry skills. Candidates must pass the Army Combat Fitness Test and an expert marksman qualification, followed by months of intense training to prepare for physical, mental and tactical requirements.
“The preparation phase of EIB is a very integral part if you want to be successful in getting your EIB,” Miller said. “Not only are you preparing yourself mentally by learning the tasks, but you are preparing yourself physically for the [Expert Physical Fitness Assessment] and 12-mile road march.”
The EPFA requires candidates to consecutively perform a one-mile run, 30 push-ups, a 100-meter sprint, 16 sandbag lifts onto a 65-inch platform, a 50-meter farmers carry of two five-gallon water cans, a 25-meter high crawl, 25 meters of 3-5 second rushes, and a final 1-mile run — all in less than 27.5 minutes.
“During the testing, I felt confident,“ he said. “EIB is all about remembering the sequence and remembering exactly how it is taught. By the time you go through train-up and get to testing, you either know it or you don’t.”
EIB testing is in four phases: the EPFA; day and night land navigation; weapons, medical and patrolling lanes; and a 12-mile ruck march.
“The most challenging part for me was the constant reminder that if you fail one event, then you are going home,” said Miller. “My biggest advice to anyone going through EIB or [Expert Soldier Badge] is to make sure you pay close attention to the material being taught and take it one day and one task at a time. There is no point in worrying about medical lanes when you are in the middle of patrolling lanes.”