Can an Army Infantryman wear both the EIB and CIB on the uniform? What happens if you get both?

Smsgt. There is no precedent. They are the same. One you have to work and study for and pass the requirements the other just be an 11 series mos and unit then get shot at and shoot back. Lots of soldiers do that and they aren’t even eligible for CIB due to their MOS. Ie arty FO, signal unit with front line troops. combat Engineers and MPs.

You are incorrect. To recieved CIB you must engage the enemy with direct fire. MCPO (Join to see)

The jump wings get a star for on the wings for a combat jump. CPT Douglas Hinckley

CPT William Jones - Tell that to the 82nd's 2nd BDE - who were flown down to Grenade before the operation was declared "finished", got off of C141s, walked across fucking RED CARPETS (okay, red mats from large rolls), then boarded different C141s - and were handed CIBs as they boarded - and never were even issued ammo or heard a shot. The Army wanted to see "new" combat patches and CIBs after the "dry spell" after Vietnam, so they made sure it happened. I had several friends that got out of jump-units after that because they realized they were only there for dog-and-pony show purposes.

And Iraq/A'stan were full of folks with CABs and CIBs that never engaged - and never left the FOBs back in the first several years of ops. They've tightened things up since then, but there was a LOT of heartache over the blanket issue of the badges.

I'm equally proud of both my EFMB and my CMB. However, I can tell you the EFMB like the EIB are harder to earn in most cases. You are authorized to wear both during the EIB/EFMB testing window if you're on a committee. During that time I know my soldiers were always a little taller then!

SFC (Join to see) - There is talk about making the wreath gold for CIB folks who also earned an EIB

I'm USMC & know about the CIB buyt please enlighten me about the EIB. What is the critiia to earn one? Thank you.

Capt Kevin McCann, sir the Expert Infantry Badge is a special skill badge, which looks like the CIB without the wreath. To earn one, a Soldier must be 11 or 18 series (infantry or Special Forces), a qualified expert on their assigned weapons systems, qualified on both day and night land navigation, a physical test involving push ups, sit ups, and a four mile run, a 12 mile road March in less than 3 hours, and a course of 35 skill stations of infantry tasks, usually things like hand grenande accuracy, small arms diassasembaly, reassembally, and functions check, CBRNE, radios, and the like. It’s often a several day effort. Effectively it’s most individual infantry tasks done to perfect book standard as graded by badge holders.

I recall a staff sergeant during the VN war an instructor in my combat tracker dog training unit who served with the 173rd abn and was highly decorated. The few times I saw him in dress uniform all he wore were jump wings from the U.S. And UK and a CIB with a couple on stars on it. I asked him about it and he said that's all anyone needs to know.

It isn't shame, it is pride. My EIB was DAMNED hard to earn. Every 11 bulletstopper that has been around for a bit knows there are cycles in EIB grading - some years are harder than others. I earned mine in a year in which there were less than 75 awarded across the entire Brigade - we started with around 650 candidates. I was the senior candidate in my squad, so I personally took my squad through, prepped them, and worked to promote success. We had 4 out of 5 succeed - over 5% of all EIBs in the Brigade were my squad. Yes, I'm damned proud of that EIB.

Contrast an EIB award rate under 15% with my first Iraq - CIB award rate around 95%. Many were recieved for driving MSR Tampa an hour BEFORE an IED went off or for being on a FOB that was mortared or for rolling out on QRF after an IED strike - all without ever actually engaging the enemy (i.e. no shots fired). Many others were issued for deliberate firefights, movement to contact patrols, convoy security that engaged and successfully repelled the enemy, or folks who were struck by an IED as an initiation for an ambush and proceeded to defend themselves from the ambush. Not all CIBs were shams - but some were. (Full disclosure - I had reclassed over into MI, and was not part of the 95% CIB rate. If the CAB was around, I most assuredly would have gotten a CAB - which I would not have worn, because I still took more pride in my EIB.)

Agreed. If you wore the EIB with a combat patch people would assume you went to combat as a POG