Ft. Bragg female soldiers become first women to earn Expert Infantryman Badge

By Jacki Billings

The Expert Infantryman Badge is a prestigious honor that requires extensive testing to earn. (Photo: Nathan Maysonet/Air Force)
Six women at Ft. Bragg have earned their bragging rights, becoming the first female soldiers to be awarded the prestigious Expert Infantryman Badge, according to a report by local newspaper The Fayetteville Observer.
Though the badge was created in 1943, it only recently became available to women after the Department of Defense altered regulations previously barring women from infantry jobs.
The six women pioneering history tested alongside hundreds of male candidates in November accomplishing a total of 30 tasks in order to earn the Expert Infantryman Badge, demonstrating mastery of infantry skills. Tests included weapons proficiency as well as medical and patrol skills. The Army reports only about 18 percent of all those that take the test actually earn the badge.
Although the soldiers declined to comment or to be publicly identified for the occasion, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a U.S. Army veteran who earned a purple heart after losing her legs in a helicopter crash when the bird she was piloting was hit by a rocket propelled grenade in Iraq in 2004, marked the occasion as a historic accomplishment for women.
“These six incredible women prove

Source: Guns.com