Military Connection: Married Medics Unite for Coveted Medical Badge

When two people get married, they become each other’s biggest supporters. Sometimes they engage in a bit of competition. But for one military couple, they’ve turned their martial competition into a team effort.

Army 1^st Lts. Ashley and Grant Restuccio are competing side-by-side to earn the coveted Expert Field Medical Badge.

The couple first met at the Basic Officer Leadership Course in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, which is the Army’s premier medical training hub and their first duty station. After they got married in March, 2014, the couple received orders to Germany, where they both serve in the Kaiserslautern Military Community. Ashley, originally from New York, works for the 21^st Theater Sustainment Command’s 30^th Medical Brigade as a medical surgical nurse. Her husband Grant, originally from California, works for Landstuhl Regional Medical Center as an intensive care unit nurse.

A few months ago both Restuccios attended an EFMB preparation course at Camp Aachen in Grafenwoehhr, Germany. During their qualification trials, they were assigned to the same platoon, allowing them to work together to earn the prestigious badge.

The Restuccios are competing with 187 other candidates for the honor of receiving the badge. Although the competition for the badge is tough, Grant says he and Ashley have an advantage.

“With both of us here, it’s easier to strive for excellence because neither of us wants to let the other one down,” Grant said. “We both expect the other to do the best we can, meanwhile holding each other accountable.”

This year’s candidate roster consists mainly of soldiers serving across Europe, but a handful of allied medics from the United Kingdom and Germany are also competing in the mix. However this has no effect on the Restuccios’ determination.

“We both want to be expert field medics and join the other elite badge holders in the Army medical department. That is why we are here,” Ashley said. “It’s just an added bonus to be competing together.”

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