APRIL 9, 2026 – Three weeks ago, 257 Soldiers set out in pursuit of perfection. Over two weeks of training and one week of testing the individuals worked to earn the coveted Expert Infantryman, Expert Field Medical, and Expert Soldier badges.
To earn one of these three badges, candidates went through a grueling series of tests that pushed them physically and mentally.
For those participating, the event provided an opportunity to push themselves, learn and master necessary skills, and set themselves apart from their peers as they move forward in their careers.
“It was extremely stressful, extremely tiring, but a very good opportunity to learn, especially from the EFMB side,” said Staff Sgt. Ashley Maas, a combat medic who serves as a drill sergeant with the 3rd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment. “There were so many quality instructors … you could learn a lot in a short period of time.”
According to her husband, Staff Sgt. Garrison Maas, an infantryman also serving as a drill sergeant with the 3-39, earning his EIB is “career motivating, it’s what boards look at. It will set me up for the rest of my career.”
There’s an often used saying when discussing mastering a skill that goes “Amateurs practice until they get it right. Professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong.”
During the train-up candidates pushed themselves to get every step of every task exactly right in the required amount of time.
Garrison said a key for his success is to continually push yourself and not let confidence and complacency take over.
“I know I needed this and I needed to get up there and be the first one for everything, the first one to get hands on,” he said, “making sure I got out there, I learned what I needed to learn, I tested out on what I need to test out and go home and study.”
After training for two weeks, the candidates were put through five days of events that tested their physical fitness, stamina, mental resiliency, and ability to execute tasks perfectly to standard.
Certain events were pass/fail, with no room for error or opportunity to retest. The Expert Physical Fitness Assessment, Day and Night Land Navigation Course and 12-mile ruck were all one-shot opportunities for success.
In addition to these events, the candidates went through three separate lanes testing critical skills. Each day of lanes, candidates could make one mistake and have the opportunity to correct it, more than that and their pursuit of the title of expert was over.
“The badge signifies more than just a passing of a series of tests though,” said Command Sgt. Maj. James Cox, 165th senior enlisted leader and noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the EIB and ESB testing. “It proves a mastery of the critical warrior tasks and battle drills essential for improving lethality and readiness on today’s modern battlefield.”
Of the 257 Soldiers that began testing week, only 105 successfully completed all tasks and were awarded their respective expert badge in a ceremony held shortly after the completion of the 12-mile ruck.
“The badge represents something deeper than just technical proficiency. It represents discipline under pressure, mastery of the fundamentals and more than anything it represents a standard that refuses to bend,” said retired Command Sgt. Maj. Tommy Blair, guest speaker at the award ceremony. “In the Army, the basics aren’t basic, they are life and death. Every lane you trained on, every repetition you ran … that wasn’t just for a badge, that was preparation for a moment when someone to your left and right is depending on you to get it right every time.”
Earning the badge brings with it new responsibilities and a challenge to continue to uphold the standard of excellence necessary to win on the battlefield.
“Now, whether you like it or not, people are watching you,” Blair said challenging the new experts. “Watching how you train, how you lead. They’re watching how you respond when things don’t go your way.” The badge may be on your chest, but the expectations are in your actions.
“E3B is not the finish line, it’s a check point,” he added. “You’ve proved you can meet the standard but now the mission is to live it daily, when no one is watching, when it’s inconvenient, when you’re tired, when it matters most. Because excellence isn’t something you turn on, it’s something you build into who you are.”
For Garrison and Ashley Maas, the experience will aid them as drill sergeants.
“It helps taking this experience back with us to being drills,” Ashley said. “It’s always fun as someone who’s primary job is instructing to see how other people instruct and how to adapt that and put in your back pocket.”
Blair ended his speech with a challenge to those who were not successful.
“It’s not failure,” he said. “FAIL is an acronym for ‘First Attempt In Learning’. E3B has a way of exposing the smallest weaknesses, the things you thought were good enough and forces you to confront them. It’s not a setback, it’s a gift. Because now you know exactly where to get better.
“So take what you learn, tighten up and come back stronger and earn it, because when you do, it will mean even more.”
Story by Nathan Clinebelle
Fort Jackson Public Affairs Office