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300 soldiers compete for coveted EFMB at Joint Base Lewis-McChord

On average, one in five of the soldiers will earn the badge

A soldier seeking to earn the Expert Field Medical Badge checks the breathing of a simulated patient during competition. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

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Thick green smoke wafted around and over a soldier as he treated a penetrating chest wound on a simulated casualty.

Like a Swiss watch, he worked precisely; standing nearby a grader watched with a watchmaker's eye.

One mistake could mean the end of the soldier's goal of earning the Expert Field Medical Badge, or EFMB.

In the race to save a soldier's life on the battlefield, there are no second chances.

Fewer than 300 soldiers from units across the country competed for the coveted badge this week at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM).

On average, one in five of the soldiers will earn the badge.

Officers and enlisted soldiers with a primary military occupational specialty associated with the medical career field can compete for the badge.

The standards are Space Station high.

"This is my second attempt at earning the EFMB," said Capt. Stephanie Stressman, Bravo Company, 47th Combat Support Hospital.

"The toughest thing is to remember all of the steps in order in rendering care for casualties, but I think I will do this."

The competition is being held on JBLM North. Candidates and the supporting cadre from various units on post will be involved for a 12-day period of standardization and testing.

>>> A candidate for the Expert Field Medical Badge assists a wounded soldier as part of the competition for the coveted badge. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

Soldiers begin their days at 4 a.m. and end them around 10 p.m.

Here's what's in the EFMB competition package.

Candidates must take a 60 question written test and pass it with a 70 percent or better.

Once in the field, they face a number of combat test lanes, or CTLs.

The newest one is the tactical combat casualty care, or TC3, lane.

It's a walk on the wild side.

Combining warrior skills (weapon assembly, reaction to fire and nuclear, biological and chemical scenarios, for example) with medical knowledge, the candidates have to successfully pass 11 of the 14 major medical tasks.

>>> The Tactical Field Care Phase is the hardest challenge the soldiers faced during the Expert Field Medical Badge competition. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

Medical knowledge, you say?

How about inserting a nasopharyngeal airway tube, performing a needle chest decompression, or treating an open abdominal wound - to say nothing of navigating down banks to move patients to an evacuation area, or coordinate their loading into a field litter ambulance - and the number of steps that must be followed to earn the badge are standard.

Oh, and there will be both day and night land navigation problems and a competition ending 12-mile ruck march in less than three hours that ends at Cowan Stadium on Thursday morning just in time for graduation.

That is, for the few candidates who manage to march onto the field and receive their EFMB.

"This lane is the most mentally challenging," Capt. Kristian Lavidner, MAMC, said as the green smoke enveloped us. 

"It's also the lane that puts candidates a lot closer to earning the EFMB."

>>> A candidate for the Expert Field Medical Badge pulls a sled with a wounded soldier and her M-4 under a barbed wire obstacle during competition for the badge. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

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