USAISR’s Valdes Bounces Back from Injury to Earn Expert Field Medical Badge

Story by Paul Lagasse

Medical Research and Development Command

FORT DETRICK, Md. – Just four months after sustaining head injuries in a car accident that had threatened to sideline him, Sgt. Andy Valdes of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command’s Institute of Surgical Research accomplished his goal of earning the prestigious Expert Field Medical Badge in May. Not only that, but Valdes did so with “No Blood” – earning perfect scores on each of the grueling tests of physical endurance, medical knowledge and military skill required to earn the special skill badge.

“Personally, I felt like I really needed that win, especially after the accident,” says Valdes, a medical laboratory specialist who serves as the NCO In Charge of ISR’s Research Blood Bank. “I was honestly in some of the best shape I’ve been in the past five years at least. I was on track to make the date that I had picked out for myself.”

The accident, which happened in January, left Valdes with moderate traumatic brain injury and complications from whiplash. The fogginess associated with the TBI left Valdes feeling like he wasn’t himself, making it difficult for him to think clearly. But as soon as he was medically cleared, he began to focus again on preparing for the EFMB test.

The EFMB test, developed by the Army’s Medical Center of Excellence, consists of an expert physical fitness assessment, a written test, a 12-mile ruck march, exercises for evaluating evacuation and warrior skills and day and night land navigation exercises. MEDCoE describes the purpose of the test as measuring “a Soldier’s physical fitness and ability to perform to standards of excellent in a broad spectrum of critical medical, evacuation and warrior skills.”

The EFMB is notoriously hard to earn; in fiscal year 2022, the overall pass rate was just 27%. The written test is the most challenging component, with 59% of competitors washing out on their first try and 47% failing to pass the re-test. It’s a daunting challenge for officers and enlisted personnel at the peak of their physical and mental strength; for someone bouncing back from a serious injury, like Valdes, the challenge is that much greater.

Valdes says that the casualty evacuation test, or “evac lane” for short, was the easiest for him, not only because of his training and experience, but also because competitors have multiple chances to complete the exercise and they can refer to detailed written guidance beforehand. Because he did not have much time after receiving his medical clearance to get back into peak physical shape before the test, the hardest part was the ruck march; Valdes completed it with only two minutes to spare.

As Valdes began racking up perfect scores as he proceeded through the testing, his companions took notice.

“I had gotten four out of four on the day and night land navigation and passed the physical fitness assessment and when I got 10 out of 10 on the evac lane people started saying to me, ‘So, are you going to go for it?’ and I was like, ‘Go for what?’” recalls Valdes. “I didn’t even know it was a thing!”

With the possibility of passing the EFMB test with “No Blood” within his grasp, Valdes decided to dig deep and go for it – and he accomplished it. He was the only person in his cohort who succeeded in achieving “No Blood.” He received the Sergeant Major’s and Commander’s Coins for his achievement.

Valdes said that the best part of the experience was being in the field with over 50 fellow Service Members who were all seeking to earn the EFMB alongside him. One of those buddies was Staff Sgt. Tyler Nace, a Medical Laboratory Sergeant from the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, who also earned his EFMB.

“Knowing that everybody there is going through the same thing together, having your battle buddies with you when you were going through it, was comforting,” says Valdes. “I made pretty good friends along the way. It was sad to see people you wanted to see pass get dinged on some small thing, but at the end of the day it made you that much more grateful and happy for those who did pass.”

Next up for Valdes is preparing to try for the Air Assault special skills badge, which he also had to put on hold following the accident. And having benefitted from the guidance of colleagues at ISR who had earned the EFMB, Valdes wants to pay it forward and mentor colleagues who want to try for the badge as well. He believes his experience can serve as an inspiration to others.

“It brought me back up mentally,” Valdes says of his progress from adversity to accomplishment. “It gave me confidence in myself again.”