MARINE CORPS REQUALIFICATION BARS

Marines who qualify as Experts with either their service rifle or pistol have the opportunity to earn a Requalification Bar to be attached to their Rifle Expert or Pistol Expert Badge. Because the Expert Badge is awarded for the first qualification, the first Requalification Bar a Marine earns is labeled “2nd Award.” Any Marine who fires Expert for record after having earned the Rifle Expert or Pistol Expert Badge is authorized for a Requalification Bar.

The rules outlining the regulations for the awarding of Requalification Bars, found in Marine Corps Order 3574./2L, specify explicitly that Requalification Bars for Rifle Experts do not have to be earned in consecutive years. For example, a Marine who first qualifies as a Rifle Expert and then achieves only Sharpshooter qualification over the next two Requalification details before again qualifying as Expert would still be eligible for the 2nd Award Requalification.

While the section dealing with Re-Qualification Bars for Pistol Expert (8.7.a-c) do not explicitly state the Expert Requalification can be earned in non-consecutive years, it’s only reasonable to assume that the same rules apply. Another note of interest: While the rules of Pistol qualification state that a Marine who qualifies may not return to the range for requalification within the same fiscal year, this restriction is not found in the sections dealing with Rifle requalification.

Marines who have earned more than one Re-Qualification Bar may wear only one at a time.