Minnesota National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry,

Minnesota National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division "Red Bulls" hosted an Expert Infantry Badge qualification at Forward Operating Base Gerber Jan. 23 to Jan. 27. The EIB is awarded to U.S. Army personnel who hold infantry or special forces military occupational specialties. To earn the badge, these individuals met the prerequisites and took part in five day series of validations to prove that they are truly a proficient at all infantry skills. At the start of the qualifications there were 294 individuals, but only 53 were awarded the coveted EIB. The last time the battalion hosted an EIB qualification was in 2008 during a deployment to Kosovo.