Combat Infantryman Badge
| Combat Infantryman Badge | |
|---|---|
U.S. Army Combat Infantryman Badge
|
|
| Awarded by United States Army | |
| Type | Special Skill Group 1 Badge |
| Eligibility | Soldier must be an Army infantry or special forces officer (SSI 11 or 18) in the grade of colonel or below, or an Army enlisted soldier or warrant officer with an infantry or Special Forces military occupational specialty. |
| Awarded for | Performing duties while personally present and under fire while serving in an assigned infantry, ranger or Special Forces capacity, in a unit of brigade, regimental, or smaller size, engaged in active ground combat, to close with and destroy the enemy with direct fires. |
| Status | Currently awarded. |
| Statistics | |
| Established | November 15, 1943 |
| Total awarded |
World War II to El Salvador: Unknown
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| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None |
| Equivalent | Combat Medical Badge |
| Next (lower) | Combat Medical Badge |
| Related | The Army Combat Action Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, and Expert Field Medical Badge. |
World War II to El Salvador: Unknown
The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military award. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who personally fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of either an infantry, ranger or Special Forces unit, of brigade size or smaller, any time after 6 December 1941.
The CIB and its non-combat contemporary, the Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB) were both created in November 1943 during World War II to enhance the morale and prestige of service in the infantry. Specifically, it recognizes the inherent sacrifices of all infantrymen, and that, in comparison to all other military occupational specialties, infantrymen face the greatest risk of being wounded or killed in action.
After the United States' declaration of war in 1941, the War Department had difficulty recruiting infantry branch volunteers, namely due to the fact that "[o]f all Soldiers [sic], it was recognized that the infantryman continuously operated under the worst conditions and performed a mission that was not assigned to any other Soldier or unit ... [t]he infantry, a small portion of the total Armed Forces, was suffering the most casualties while receiving the least public recognition."
On 27 October 1943, the War Department formally established the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) and the Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB) awards in Section I, War Department Circular 269 (27 October 1943):
The present war has demonstrated the importance of highly-proficient, tough, hard, and aggressive 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 the Combat Infantryman badges are established for infantry personnel.
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