CIB's being awarded to com engs

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More info on the CIB. This was taken from this page: http://www.armyhistory.org/armyhistorical....amp;exCompID=32

 

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Top : General History : Miscellaneous : Recognition of the Combat Infantryman: The Story of the CIB

Recognition of the Combat Infantryman: The Story of the CIB

By LTC Albert N. Garland, USA-Ret., Former Editor of Infantry magazine.

 

The Combat Infantryman Badge, or CIB, is the infantryman's most prestigious award, next to the medal of honor. With U.S. infantrymen once again serving in potentially "hot" zones of operation, it is worthwhile to examine the history of the award.

 

In August 1943, LTG Leslie J. McNair's Army Ground Forces (AGF) headquarters conducted a survey of soldiers then assigned to AGF's 11 arms and services. His people discovered that among those soldiers the infantry was by far the least popular branch, even with its own members. In brief, few infantrymen at the time were happy with being in the infantry or with their current assignments.

 

The results of the survey were given to General George C. Marshall, the Army's Chief of Staff and an old-line infantryman himself. In mid-1943, the U.S. still had a long road to travel and many battles to fight to reach final victory, and those battles would require motivated, well-trained combat soldiers, particularly infantrymen.

 

Marshall asked McNair to recommend ways the infantry's prestige could be boosted and its importance as the Army's premier combat arm could be recognized. By this time, Army units were doing 70 percent of the fightng and dying in all active theaters of operations, and Marshall knew knew the road ahead would require even greater sacrifices from the combat infantrymen. Something had to be done to improve their morale and effectiveness.

 

One of McNair's proposals called for a "fighter badge" that would be awarded to infantrymen who could meet certain standards, which were to be developed by Marshall's headquarters. Marshall approved the concept but eventually decided that instead of having one "fighter badge," there would be two individual combat badges -- the CIB and the Expert Infantryman Badge, or EIB.

 

Section I, War Department (WD) Circular 209, 27 October 1943, spelled out the details. The circular begins by stating: The present war has demonstrated the importance of highly proficient, tough, hard, and agressive infantry, which can be obtained only by developing a high degree of individual all-around proficiency on the part of every infantryman. As a means of attaining the high standards desired and to foster esprit de corps in infantry units, the Expert Infantryman and Combat Infantryman badges are established for infantry personnel.

 

It is interesting to note that both badges were initally considered combat badges. The EIB could be awarded to infantry, including officers, who either attained "the standards of proficiency established by the War Department" or satisfactorially performed "duty in action against the enemy." The CIB had stricter requirements ; to be awarded a CIB, infantrymen, including officers, had to demonstrate "exemplary conduct in action against the enemy" or satisfactorialy perform "duty in action against the enemy in a major operation as determined and announced by the theater commanders."

 

The award of the badges had to be made in unit orders and at an appropriate ceremony, whenever possible. The circular stressed that "only one of these badges will be worn at a time," and that "the Combat Infantryman badge is the higher award." Although the War Department circular was dated 27 October 1943, the EIB was not officially authorized until an executive order was issued on 11 November 1943; the CIB was officially authorized by executive order four days later.

 

Records indicate that no infantryman received an EIB for "duty in action against the enemy," and subsequent regulations specified the EIB would be restricted to infantrymen who satisfactorily completed stringent training requirements, while the CIB was restricted to infantrymen who satisfactorily performed their duties while in combat.

 

WD Circular 408, 17 October 1944, pulled together information contained in several previously issued WD 1944 circulars and spelled out further details for awarding both badges, including a provision that authorized "during the present war and for 6 months thereafter" additional compensation to those infantrymen who were awarded either the EIB or the CIB. This additional compensation amounted to $5.00 per month for EIB holders and $10.00 per month for CIB holders. A soldier could draw payment for one or the other but not for both at the same time. Officers were not authorized this additional compensation. These payments came about as a result of an act of Congress that was approved 30 June 1944 (a March 1944 change to the basic regulation made eligibility for the award of a CIB retroactive to 7 December 1941). Records reveal that such monetary awards to holders of either badge were not authorized after the stated term had expired.

 

Circular 408 also spelled out in greater detail the requirments individuals had to meet to be considered for the award of either badge. First, the award of the EIB and the CIB was to be "restricted to officers, warrant officers, and enlisted men assigned to infantry regiments, infantry battalions, and elements thereof designated as infantry in tables of organization or tables of organization and equipment."

 

The EIB could be awarded to infantrymen who "attained the standards of proficiency established by the War Department," while the CIB could be awarded for "satisfactory performance of duty in ground combat against the enemy." The latter was a distinct change to the original 1943 standards, an attempt to clarify them.

 

Despite the opinion of many combat infantrymen, Army regulations issued during World War II never prescribed a specific period of time a man had to serve in combat in an infantry unit to be eligible for the CIB. This has not prevented some from believing there was a specified time involved.

 

A separate award of the CIB has been authorized for qualified soldiers who took part in World War II (7 December 1941 - 3 September 1945), The Korean Conflict (27 June 1950 - 27 July 1953), and the Vietnam Conflict (1 March 1961 - 30 April 1975). However, qualifying service for such actions as Laos, the Dominican Republic, the Korean DMZ, Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf War and Somalia is recognized by one award whether a soldier served one or more tours of duty in any or all of those areas.

 

No combat infantryman has yet been awarded more than three CIBs. To earn these three awards, an infantryman would have had to see combat service in World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam Conflict.