The first two women in history have graduated from the grueling Army Ranger school at Fort Benning, Georgia, though the women won't be allowed to serve in the elite force.
First Lt. Shaye Haver and Capt. Kristen Griest, both graduates of the Military Academy at West Point, were among the 96 soldiers who graduated Ranger School on Aug. 21, according to an Aug. 21 Army statement.
Maj. Gen. Austin Miller, commander of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, said the women performed the exact same test as the men.
"Up front, what we've been very consistent on is we've said there will be no change to the standards and there weren't," said Miller, who graduated from Ranger school 30 years ago.
Haver said their gender wasn't a factor when it came to getting through the Ranger test.
"We immediately integrated in our squad and became teammates that way," Haver said. "It was never about the women trying to beat the men through Ranger School, or the women banding together for any reason in Ranger School."
However, the two women won't see any combat as Rangers. Women still aren't allowed to actually eligible to serve as Rangers.
Since Ranger School opened in 1950, only 77,000 soldiers have passed the course. Of the 4,057 soldiers who attempted the course in 2014, only 1,609 completed it.
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10 comments:
What happens when they have there period in the middle of a fight ?
Good. It's a stunt. They got their tabs. The fems can be happy. No woman should ever or ever will be with a ranger team in combat. Period. These two women barley made it as it is and did have special treatment. Even failed and was allowed to re enter where they left off. Not one male ranger candidate has ever had that happen. Ifnyou nogo then you start over if your lucky enough for another chance.
Good point.
I don't want them to have my back.
Political correctness.
NEITHER one of these women will EVER go into combat with the Rangers.
I was attached to the 75th Ranger Battalion in Ft. Lewis --- try running 3 miles with an fifty pound pack in 90 degree weather, in the sand. The women attached to that unit couldn't even do double time WITHOUT any gear!!
Then imagine a firefight where you get hit and need HER to run out into the open field to drag your 220 lb body back to cover.
And YES, despite what the Army wants to promote, those women WERE given second chances, something the men were not and never were given.
When you start making allowances for unqualified people to join the Post Office, well, such is life. When you start risking other people's lives for the sake of saying "See!!! Women CAN carry an M-60 or a mortar tube up that mountain trail and fight to the death!!"
BS.
You are going to get someone killed. Crying won't bring them back.
If a woman can pass then the standards need to be raised.
When I was on the Navy we were one of the first ship's to allow women. After 9 month deployment all 8 were pregnant.
So they took the spot in school from two men who could go to combat units got political correctness. The day of large armies slugging it out on huge battle fields is over! The small elite units like the Rangers, force recon, navy seals and special forces are the future. Now we will be undermanned and undertrained because some women think they have proved something, they proved the standards are low, recycled twice with minimum pt scores. I'm so glad I'm not in the batts anymore!
Hmmm. Isn't this like affirmative action?
I read other comments elsewhere from folks who had earned Ranger tabs. They made an important distinction in their comments.
Many, in a sense, pass Ranger school and get their tabs. But most of them will never be Rangers since that is only possible via assignment to and qualifying for the Ranger unit itself.
I salute all who attempted the course. Taking the general at his word that no corners were cut, I salute these two officers and all of the other successful members of their class. Glad we have each and every one of them.
My nephew-in-law is an academy graduate. Back stateside for 10th reunion of his class. Recently a classmate was killed in helicopter crash along with another pilot while training. She had numerous awards and citations from her combat time in the Middle East.
Strong advocate of job-based requirements, and disapprove of screwing with them just to be PC, but welcome those desiring to serve who can measure up.
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