JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Two U.S. Air Force Airmen participated in the 2nd Brigade, 11th Airborne Division’s Expert Soldier and Expert Infantry Badge three-week course throughout September 2023, earning the Army’s Expert Soldier Badge on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Jeremiah Cox, a flight commander from the 381st Intelligence Squadron, and Staff Sgt. Joseph Jenkins, a firefighter from the 673d Civil Engineer Squadron, are the first in the Air Force to earn the ESB.
Cox explained that the E2B course is the Expert Soldier Badge and Expert Infantry Badge run concurrently. This course is for those who do not serve in infantry, medical or Special Forces.
In order to earn the badge, one must complete the course and all of its tasks, including an Army Combat Fitness Test, a land-navigation test, a 12-hour ruck march, and many others.
Participants must complete 10 medical tasks, such as CPR and treating heat casualties. There are 10 weapons tasks to complete, firing or disassembling and reassembling different weapons. These were followed by completion of patrol tasks to include spot reports, adjusting fire and individual movement techniques.
The courses began Sept. 5, 2023. Participants spent the first two weeks training and preparing for the final testing. Throughout the last week, they proved the skills they learned in a series of tests and missions. Cox described it as ‘crawl, walk, run.’
The Airmen are both examples of multi-capable Airmen. They stepped away from their everyday jobs to further their learning and skill sets; Cox took personal leave days to participate in the event.
“The path to becoming a multi-capable Airman is unique to every [Air Force Specialty Code],” said Cox. “To make a multi-capable Airman, those in support ASFCs should dive into operational skills. For those in operational ASFCs, they should learn support skills. Each group then has a basic competency in both categories.”
Both Cox and Jenkins said they enjoyed the event and had something to motivate them to finish the course and earn the badge.
“Knowing that it was such a big honor, a big event, to even be there just motivated me even more to complete the course and earn the badge,” said Jenkins.
Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Foley, assistant operations sergeant and Senior Noncommissioned Officer planner and coordinator of the ESB, said he was proud and excited to learn that both Airmen had completed the testing.
“They showed up each day motivated and hungry to learn,” said Foley. “Keeping a positive attitude throughout the entire event often drives those individuals to perform better. These two Airmen did that.”
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