photo by Capt. Todd Keilman Pfc. Lucas C. Lawlor, left, finishes a 12-mile road march at Camp Bullis, Texas. The road march is the final challenge for Soldiers earning the Expert Field Medical Badge.

In May, 176 Soldiers from bases throughout the world tried to earn the badge during a two-week testing period at Camp Bullis, Texas. Of those 176 Soldiers, five were medics assigned to the Aid Station, 529th Regimental Support Company, 4th Battalion, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard). Of the 35 Soldiers who ultimately earned the badge at the end of the two weeks, one was an Old Guard Soldier — Pfc. Lucas C. Lawlor.

To earn the badge, Lawlor underwent a series of realistic scenarios that a medic might go through while in combat. He and his comrades treated Soldiers while under small arms fire, during explosions, through smoke and under nuclear, biological and chemical simulations.

The Soldiers had to demonstrate to the evaluators that they could put their duties as medics first and foremost while under stressful conditions. They had to treat and evacuate wounded Soldiers, communicate under fire and navigate unknown terrain during day and night.

The Soldiers’ mental and physical skills were tested as well, through a written test, an Army physical fitness test and a 12-mile road march.

‘‘The written exam was the most difficult part,” said Lawlor. ‘‘They used four different Army manuals to draw the test material from — field sanitation, detainee operations, the Combat Medic Manual and the Soldiers’ Manual of Common Tasks.”

Lawlor credited his success to the support he received from his leadership and fellow Soldiers.

Four other Soldiers in The Old Guard have earned the badge in years past — Capt. Todd Kielman, the Regimental Surgeon, Sgt. 1st Class Michael Villareal, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Aid Station, Staff Sgt. Nicholas Daniels, the treatment NCOIC for the Aid Station and one other medic, Sgt. Carl White. Lawlor credited the other badge-holders for providing him the necessary training, advice, and support while he was training in the months before the test.

Villareal, who ensured Lawlor had the appropriate training before going to Camp Bullis, said Lawlor’s success came from his attitude towards his goal.

‘‘He’s a driven and highly motivated Soldier,” he said. ‘‘He sees a target and he goes for it. Some of the cadre down there even commented they could see in his eyes that he wanted the badge.”

Besides the other badge holders, Lawlor said the four other Old Guard Soldiers who went to Camp Bullis with him were invaluable.

‘‘This badge belongs as much to the four other guys I came down with as it does to me,” he said. ‘‘They did everything they could do to help me get the badge. Even after they were disqualified, we still worked as a team. I really feel it’s just as much theirs as it is mine.”

Lawlor found his time at Camp Bullis was more than just a time to earn the EFMB. It was a learning experience about the Army as a whole, he said.

‘‘It was interesting meeting people from other units — it gave me a broad scope of what it’s like in other units. Being down there, talking to people from other units, really made me see how many opportunities we have here in The Old Guard.”

Lawlor plans to spend another two years in The Old Guard before going on to other units around the world. But before he leaves, he said he hopes to re-enlist and take advantage of the opportunities his unit affords him, namely college and Army schools.

Lawlor is hoping to take on more challenges in the Army, like airborne, air assault and pathfinder schools. ‘‘I like challenges,” he said.

‘‘This badge isn’t just handed to you — I really had to work hard for it. It re-enforced in my mind that I can accomplish anything I put my mind on.”