A new badge of courage.

UNDER the premise that every Soldier is first an infantryman, one might expect combat to be a fact of Army life.

But as dangerous as duty in Iraq and Afghanistan currently is, not every Soldier encounters enemy fire. To recognize the many who do, the Army has introduced the new Combat Action Badge. Eligibility for the award is retroactive to Sept. 18, 2001, Army officials said.

The badge honors such Soldiers as artillerymen, military police, truck drivers and other combat arms, combat-service and combat-service-support specialists who don't serve in the infantry or special forces, but who face enemy action.

"We created this badge in response to field commanders who wanted to do the right thing to recognize Soldiers fighting the global war on terror," said LTC Bill Johnson of the Army's Military Awards Branch.

The badge is intended for Soldiers who come under fire in combat zones. It will not be awarded to entire units. Recipients must have demonstrated honorable action while engaging or being engaged by the enemy.

"By giving the approval authority for the badge to major-general commanders and above, the Army is ensuring that the award is given to deserving Soldiers on a timely basis," Johnson said.

The CAB may be awarded to Soldiers, in any military occupational specialty, who performed assigned duties in an area where hostile-fire or imminent-danger pay was authorized.

Eligibility for the Combat Infantry Badge or Combat Medical Badge for a specific action disqualifies Soldiers for the CAB. The CIB was approved in 1943 to recognize infantry and special-forces Soldiers engaged in active ground combat. And in 1945 the CMB was approved for medical personnel engaged in ground combat while assigned to or under operational control of a combat-arms unit.

Only one CAB may be awarded in a single qualifying period. If eligibility criteria are met, Soldiers may be awarded the CIB, CMB and CAB in the same qualifying period, but for different actions.

Soldiers serving in combat zones will wear their unit patch on the right-shoulder sleeve regardless of whether they earn the CAB.

"The CAB and the combat patch denote entirely different things. The combat patch signifies that a Soldier was in the theater of operations, and the Combat Action Badge indicates a Soldier performed honorably in combat action," Johnson said.

The CAB is worth 15 promotion points for enlisted Soldiers. It was designed by the Institute of Heraldry and depicts a bayonet and grenade.

"Warfare is still a human endeavor," said GEN Peter J. Schoomaker, Army chief of staff. "Our intent is to recognize Soldiers who demonstrate and live the warrior ethos."

This marks the first time women have been eligible for a combat decoration other than the CMB, because women have traditionally not served in infantry and special forces.

Award Requests

The approval authorities mentioned above are responsible for processing all CAB requests for Soldiers currently assigned or attached to their commands, regardless whether the Soldier was assigned to that command at the time of the qualifying action.

The U.S. Army Human Resources Command will process retroactive requests for veterans, members of the Individual Ready Reserve, and members of other services and foreign militaries. Requests will be forwarded to Commanding General, USAHRC, ATTN: AHRC-PDO-PA, Alexandria, VA 22332-0471.

Requests should include the following supporting documentation:

* assignment, attachment or operational control orders;

* a copy of the Soldier's Officer Records Brief, Enlisted Records Brief or DA Form 2-1, "Personnel Qualification Record;"

* chain of command endorsement;

* narrative description of the qualifying incident;

* a certified copy of the Soldier's DD Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," if applicable;

* and such supporting documentation as official unit reports, casualty reports, line-of-duty investigations, two or more eyewitness statements from Soldiers who participated in the same ground combat action, or orders for a previously awarded Purple Heart, if applicable.

Attacks by mortars, rockets, rocket-propelled grenades, improvised explosive devices and suicide bombers are qualifying factors. For such incidents, narratives must include the proximity of the Soldier to the impacted area and whether the Soldier could have reasonably been injured by the blast, detonation or explosion.

Soldiers will wear the badge above the left breast pocket of their dress uniforms, according to Army Regulation 670-1, "Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia." The CIB and CAB may not be worn at the same time. The CMB may be worn with either the CIB or CAB.

The CAB may be awarded to members of other services, as well as to foreign soldiers assigned to U.S. Army units.

Changes for Special Forces Medics

Along with the CAB comes a change in the CIB criteria for special-threes medics. Previously ineligible for the CIB, special-forces medics assigned or attached to special-forces units and who engage in active ground combat may now receive the CIB. Qualifying special-forces medics who were awarded a CMB from Sept. 18, 2001, to June 3, 2005, may swap the badge for a CIB.

First Soldiers Receive CAB

IN a June 29 ceremony at the Pentagon, Army Chief of Staff GEN Peter J. Schoomaker awarded the first of the Army's new Combat Action Badge to five Soldiers who engaged in combat with the enemy.

The five are:

* SGT Michael Buyas, Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 25th Inf. Division;

* SGT Manuel J. Montano, 21st Military Police Co.;

* SGT Sean Steans, 377th Transportation Co., 3rd Corps Support Command;

* Army Reserve SGT April Pashley, 404th Civil Affairs Bn.; and

* Army National Guard SGT Timothy Gustafson, 1st Bn., 278th Regimental Combat Team.

For information on processing procedures, call the Military Awards Branch at [phone]/6699.