Sgt. Christian Duran wore a smile.

For four days, he had worked hard to earn his Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB).

Introduced in 1944 by then Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Marshall, the badge is a high honor among infantrymen. Earning the badge signifies that an infantryman is a master of the profession of arms.

Soldiers assigned to the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division on Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) recently stepped up to the challenge of earning the badge. Of the 762 Soldiers who began the competition, approximately 200 earned their EIB.

"The EIB is a mark of excellence," Master Sgt. Eric Chastain, the noncommissioned officer in charge, said. "It prepares the leaders of tomorrow's Army."

In keeping pace with the challenges the infantry faces today, the EIB program adapted. "This used to be an individual event, one where a Soldier went from one station to another and demonstrated his knowledge," Chastain said. "Now, the EIB competition features the Army's transformation program, the infantry's Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) consolidations and the emerging technologies; it is a scenario-driven challenge."

The new program is eight days long - five training days and three testing days.

The 4th Stryker Brigade is the first of the three Stryker brigades at JBLM to conduct the EIB testing under the new program.

Major changes to the testing include a 12-mile road march, landing navigation, a physical fitness test, and day and night qualification on individual weapons.

During the weeklong challenge, Soldiers tested on a patrol lane, an urban lane and a Traffic Control Point (TCP) lane. Watching and evaluating each Soldier was an experienced grader.  

As the Soldiers moved through the three testing lanes, they were evaluated on 30 individual tasks that included everything from weapons knowledge and moving under direct fire to engaging a target with a hand grenade and calling in indirect fire.

Of the 30 tasks, 15 are Army mandated; the unit selects the other 15 tasks. "We have the opportunity to tailor the testing to the mission the Soldiers have," Chastain said.

Tailoring aside, competitors had to complete eight of 10 tasks on each lane successfully to continue. There was no retesting.

On each of the three lanes, there was a "decision task," - an unexpected challenge that had to be met successfully.  "It's a good challenge," 1st Lt. Dae Choi said after completing the patrol lane. In Choi's case, he had to make a split-second decision between throwing a flash bang grenade at a civilian who was menacing him or perform first aid on another civilian who had lost part of his right arm. "The guy on the ground with part of his arm gone was the immediate challenge; the other guy was no threat."

Choi said that the biggest factor working in his favor for the EIB challenge was the training he had received. "We practiced and practiced over and over," he said.

Nearby on the TCP lane, Duran moved from providing first aid on a simulated wounded Soldier to a point where he had to call for indirect artillery fire to a Stryker. Once in the armored vehicle, he had to start it up, set up its communications and prepare the .50 caliber weapon system.

At some point while in the Stryker, he made a mistake. It was his last.  

He was disqualified, a "no go," a Soldier who would not earn his EIB.

"I will earn it the next time around," Duran said. "Sure I'm a little disappointed, but I take this for what it is, and I take it with a smile."

Despite the fact that he was out of the competition, Duran knew that his fellow Soldiers faced a 12-mile ruck march the next day, and he wanted them in the right frame of mind to earn their EIBs.  To do that, he did not wear the frown of defeat.

He wore a smile.

That's a selfless attitude, the mark of a leader who puts his fellow Soldiers first.