European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 11, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 stars and stripes april 11 2007 3 Days of proving in Vilseck after passing a grueling pretest Stryker soldiers Are cleared to train for expert infantryman badge by Seth Robson stars and stripes Vilseck Germany grenades Are flying machine guns Are rattling and soldiers Are leaping be tween piles of sandbags at Vilseck army Airfield this week in an Effort to earn the coveted expert infantryman badge More than 300 soldiers from 1st and 2nd squad Rons 2nd cavalry Stryker regi ment Are preparing to test for the badge wednesday thursday and Friday according to sgt maj Patrick Ogden 2nd cavalry operations sergeant major every eligible infantryman in the regiment will test this month and in May he added master sgt Joseph Dallas operations no for the Vilseck test ing said candidates must pass physical training qualify As Rifle experts pass Day and night land navigation tests and March 12 Miles in full kit with a 35pound Ruck in less than three hours before they can Start train ing for the Eib mortar men also must pass a gunnery exam he said after 10 Days of training Candi dates must Complete 35 test stations with just two retests Al Lowed Dallas said the stations include machine guns movement under fire at4 antitank weapon calling for and adjusting fire nuclear biological and chemical tasks throwing hand grenades first Aid radio skills and using night i Sion devices Ogden said the training is useful to Young soldiers More than 70 percent of our infantrymen Are first Ermers in the army and have never tested for Mmore than 70 percent of our infantrymen Are first Ermers in the army and have never tested for the Eib every skill they learn out Here is a skill they will use in combat sgt maj Patrick Ogden 2nd cavalry operations sergeant major the Eib he said every skill they learn out Here is a skill they will use in combat at the hand grenade Lane on Friday grader sgt 1st class Loren Kirk 39 of Benicia Calif showed soldiers the technique for lobbing grenades candidates get five training grenades and must use Mem to take out a target representing an enemy Soldier 35 meters away by Landing the grenade with in a 5meter Circle Kirk said then they have to Zig Zag their Way to a Bunker using cover and drop a grenade through a Hole before racing Over to a pile of sandbags and lobbing another grenade into a foxhole 20 meters away nearby at the fir staid Lane a candidate practice bandaging a leg wound using a mannequin Dallas said hed done the same thing in combat twice once in 2005 on an iraqi insurgent who been shot he was in a significant amount of pain so he quit fighting at that Point he recalled at the 50caliber machine gun station grader staff sgt Carlo Polidori 29 of St Johnsville by showed soldiers How to Load Correct malfunctions fire and unload the the most common mistakes in clude loading ammo the wrong Way or too slowly and failing to lift the feeder when Clearing the weapon he said a big motivation for earning the Eib is the fou Day leave pass soldiers get As a Reward said candidate pc Charles Heem 20 of port Char Lottella in planning to sleep a lot added Heekin who spent 10 hours a Day Over the past two weeks doing badge training email Seth Robson at Colleg bound students urged to get meningitis vaccinations by Bryan Mitchell stars and stripes Raf Milden shall England the military is urging col leg bound High school seniors to hit the clinic before they hit the dorms the Europe regional medical command issued a release Fri Day reminding students that meningitis commonly strikes in share living environments such As College dormitories or military Barracks College freshmen that live in dormitories Are five times More Likely to get a Beningo Coucal infection As compared with those who live off Campus or dont at tend College said or it col William p Corr Europe regional medical commands consultant for preventive Medicine at land Stuhl regional medical Center in Germany the command said military trainees receive a Host of vac Cines to protect against several types of meningitis and other infections and recommend Stu dents bound for College do the same the vaccine lasts a life time four cases of meningitis three fatal struck us victims Early last year in Germany according to Europe regional medi Cal command spokeswoman Jeri Chappelle on Soldier a family member and a civilian assigned to Span Dahlem air Force base died As a result the survivor was a old son of an army civil Ian Chappelle said a lot of people got their shots after that Chappelle said three of the four victims we rent vaccinated and had been infected by a Strain of meningitis that is covered in the vaccine said Chappelle who received the information from the Center for health promotion and preventive Medicine Europe another had been vaccinated but was infected by a Strain not covered by the vaccine she said vaccination reduces the likelihood of infection Chappelle said it covers some strains but not All no cases of meningitis have been reported yet this year she said the bacterial infection can Lead to Beningo Coucal meningitis an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal Cord or Beningo Coucal septic Mia an infection of the blood according to the american College health association it strikes 1400 to 3000 Ameri cans each year and is responsible for approximately 150 to 300 deaths about 100 to 125 cases of Beningo Coucal disease occur on College campuses each year the Acha said five to 15 students die As a result there Are about 1380 High school seniors attending the department of defense dependents schools system this year last year about 58 percent of Dodds seniors said they planned to at tend a fou year College after graduation email Bryan Mitchell at Seth and stripes pfc Jason Adams a Soldier with the 2nd cavalry Stryker regiment bandages a Dummy during expert infantryman badge training at Vilseck on Friday online too compares Utility prices in us military families moving to a us address can compare Utility prices in their new neighbourhoods online through a new army and air Force Exchange service program the military moving Center allows comparison shopping Between 500 networked local providers of such utilities As internet and Cable television service and electricity cafes announced monday the comparison service is available to authorized Exchange custom ers Only and is restricted to moves within and to the Continental us the release said by plugging in a us address cafes customers can research up to three competing outlets the news release said Many online providers also offer military families special incentives like free installation and Best Price guarantees the release said customers also can connect their utilities through the military mov ing Center the release said the service is a Good Way to ensure service members Arent paying too much for household expenses the release said for More information visit maritime exercise with North Africa under Way Phoenix express a two week exercise to strengthen us and euro Pean maritime partnerships with Norm Africa began tuesday eleven nations will train in the Mediterranean sea and Atlantic Ocean in an Agenda that includes maritime interdiction search and Rescue division tactics and medical practices participating Are armed forces from Algeria France Greece Italy Malta Morocco Portugal Spain Tunisia Turkey and the United states the Navy said in a news release uss Nassau and uss Kauffman both Home ported in Norfolk a will participate with marines based in Rota Spain and patrol squad Ron five air assets based in Simonella Italy the military sea lift command Fleet Oiler uses a Tuxen also will participate from staff reports