I am currently serving in a reconnaissance squadron, was a senior scout now squadron MG. While taking my section(sorry, former) thru the EIB site and training them up for the last 3 weeks I noticed a few things.

First off the prereqs. I did 3 12milers and 2 PT tests so my Troopers could be qualified. Sorry but this is the EIB as in Expert as like EXCELLENCE. If you can't get the PT land nav and roadmarch done in one try as well as the range in one day(thank god my Ol' Bills shot expert in one day or that was more trips out to the range) then you should be done. Actually, I feel that it should be done old school with the range and PT test kickin' EIB off with land nav and roadmarch in the testing phase.

Next, I have an awesome CoC even though they are cross rifle guys. The original plan was for the entire squadron, FSC included, to do a Spur ride then the 11series 19D and 13F do EIB. Bde switched up EIB so it got front loaded and the Spur ride nixed but the pot was sweet for joe. If you earn the EIB you get a COA from the SCO, Cert of training for 120hrs and if "true blue" an AAM. Scouts would have made out better than the 11series guys! At every station though I kept getting asked "Are you guys WT?" WT stands for warrior tasks. From what I was told all the tasks are the same except M21 AT mine. So every swinging richard from Bde(cook, clerk and HQ sweeper) is doing EIB. WTF???

Finally, regarding the tasks. If all troops are doing EIB/WT what ever why in the EIB booklet is everything modified? At the end of almost every task there is what I like to call a disclaimer. "This task modified for EIB purpose." What gives!?! Don't modify the task, do it to standard and train it to standard. Alot of the modifications were wrong too. I got questioned every time we trained something "why are we doing it the wrong way?" I understand EIB is attention to detail and I stressed that but however if unlearning something to relearn it wrong to unlearn it and relearn it right is the EIB pattern then that needs to be changed.

Sorry, a little back ground, at JRTC we got a big fat "U" on skill level 1 tasks for our joes b/c that basic layer of training was hard to fit in while standing up a new unit from scratch. When I found out we 19D would be doing EIB I wasn't grumbling like alot but I welcomed it. The thing that chaps my saddle point is that these fundamental and critical tasks were/are taught/eval'd wrong. Every Soldier regardless of rank/MOS should come away from EIB with or w/o the badge saying "I learned alot from this." To me the bottom line is that this training and evaluation shall(not should) enable us to go out the gate go kill those who need to be killed and get everybody back to the FOB alive.

Just one Scouts take on this years EIB. By the way I had 2 out of eight earn the EIB. No true blue, and I lost 2 to PLDC Warrior Leaders Course and one didn't make the PT test(slow on the run).

"Look around, this is old school, this is Cavalry!" Bruce Willis  actor eastern Iraqi

FORWARD!!!

Far as the tasks go... I hear you buddy. One year in particular we had to learn and teach three fricking standards of CPR... CTT standard, EIB standard, and CLS standard (which was actually Red Cross standard at the time.) Talk about headaches... I'd say a good 25% of the No-Gos during that EIB iteration stemmed from troopies performing CPR improperly... (or properly depending on your point of view.)

These days it seems most units are dragging the process out over a couple weeks... certain elements in the 101st for example spent a good chunk of this past Summer dicking around with it... what a waste of precious time. They had a new load of cherry privates and just a couple months to get up to speed for re-deployment to Iraq. Having high percentages of EIB awards amongst their personnel was more important to the higher ups than having higher levels of tactical competance amongst their line squads.  

Never forget, despite it's dubious value in reinforcing the most basic of soldier skills... EIB came about as a way for folks who had never seen the elephant to stand with some sort of pride next to their peers who had CIB's...

 

"The degenerative and loony should never be denigrated but, rather, thanked. In their absence, the rest of you would be obliged to fill congressional seats... positions naturally unsavory to the sane and honorable."

Thorax

"Some people dream of success...while others wake up and work hard at it"

Really?  I didn't know that...  It started in WWII, so I always believed it was a way to show certain Soldiers were expertly prepared for deployment.

Actually - I'd like to see the original award criteria, for the historical interest.

The EIB was established on 11 Dec. 1943

Link

Personally, I never felt lacking in any pride because I didn't have a CIB

1/508th Abn Inf, 82nd Abn Div 81-83

1/4th Inf (Mech), 3rd Inf Div (USAEUR) 83-84

SGT\EIB\Recondo

 "Never argue with an idiot; they'll drag you down to their level and beat
you with experience." ~ Anonymous