CAMP JAMES E. RUDDER, Fla. — Wearing a cap, sunglasses and a 75-pound rucksack and carrying a 17-pound machine gun, the young, buzz-cut Army officer quickly traversed a muddy river, pulling on a rope stretched between trees on either bank.
After a short break, the soldier shoved a black Zodiac boat into the water for a two-mile paddle with nine other soldiers, one of hundreds of tasks over nine weeks of Ranger School, the top leadership course in the Army.
It was hard to tell anything was different about the officer, except when she opened her mouth to ask for the names and blood types of the other soldiers so she could fill out a manifest for a simulated mission, or when she took off her cap to reveal hair cut a tad longer than that of her classmates.
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If she and another female first lieutenant in the group manage to graduate this month from Ranger School, one of the most physically and mentally challenging courses in the military, they will be the first women to do so. They will also be the only graduates who will not be permitted, for now at least, to actually try out for the Ranger regiment, or to serve as infantry or tank officers anywhere in the Army.
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But the women’s performance is being closely watched as the Army and other services grapple with how far to go in integrating women into combat roles. Among the questions soon to be answered is whether women will be eligible for any of the most dangerous jobs, like the Ranger battalions that often work with the nation’s premier counterterrorism organization, the Joint Special Operations Command, and that serve as a farm team for the Army’s most elite unit, Delta Force.
In 2013, the Pentagon announced it was lifting its formal ban on women in combat, a nod not only to gender equality but also to the de facto progression of women toward the front lines that had been going on for more than a decade, from Marine female engagement teams to the cultural support teams that accompany Rangers, Navy SEAL teams and other special operators on raids. Women even perform intelligence gathering and other tasks in SEAL Team 6’s top-secret Black Squadron.
“There have been women in combat since the wars kicked off,” said Sgt. First Class Frances Espinal-Teter, a female soldier assigned to observe the training here, who supports women in the infantry. She was deployed to Iraq a dozen years ago as a military police officer and top gunner in a Humvee, and later served alongside Marines and SEAL members in Afghanistan.
The services have until Jan. 1 to decide which positions they still want to keep off limits to women, and they must provide a rationale for each, with the defense secretary making the final call. The progress of the two female officers, and 17 other women who started Ranger School this year but did not make it this far, is expected to help inform that decision, as well as whether to continue to allow women to attend Ranger School, which was open only to men before this year. The military’s other major infantry service, the Marines, recently opened its rigorous infantry officer course to women, but none of the 29 female officers who started the program passed.
Though only 3 percent of soldiers in the active-duty Army have earned Ranger tabs, it is an unofficial prerequisite for obtaining many infantry commands, and an explicit requirement for leading combat troops in the Ranger regiment. It is also a significant career enhancer even for officers who do not serve in combat units.
Out of privacy concerns and a desire to not create distractions for students or instructors near the end of an exhausting two-month course, the Army has not disclosed the names of the two women, both West Point graduates. It also did not allow interviews with students, as is standard practice. Yet it has invited journalists to observe their training, a move intended to help dispel the idea that the women have been cut any special slack.
About 4,000 officers and enlisted soldiers start the Ranger course every year, but only about two out of five graduate. Students drill and train with little sleep, carrying packs and combat equipment that typically weigh between 65 and 90 pounds, and over 61 days they carry out tactical patrols that cumulatively cover the same distance as walking from New York City to Boston.
Col. David G. Fivecoat, the commander of the Army’s Airborne and Ranger training brigade, says the female students are competing on the same terms as the 160 men still in their class: No flexed-arm-hangs instead of pull-ups. No push-ups from the knees. The same cutoff times (40 minutes for a five-mile run, for example) and the same number of repetitions in the initial physical assessment (49 push-ups, 59 situps, six chin-ups).
The two women have performed well on the least subjective evaluations, like fitness tests and hikes with heavy backpacks, including a steep 1.8-mile trek up Mount Yonah in Georgia.
“Everybody’s backpack weighed the same,” Colonel Fivecoat said, “and they all had to put one foot in front of the other.”
Aside from slightly longer (but still buzz-cut) hair, the only official allowances for their sex are that the female officers are allowed to take prescription birth control (students generally cannot bring prescription drugs to the course) and when in barracks the women rotate shower and latrine time with the men, and string up ponchos as makeshift curtains when dressing.
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The two women have gotten good marks in another key evaluation criteria — peer assessments, where classmates rank one another on how good a teammate and leader other students are, and how much they would want to be with them in combat.
The one major area where the two women have struggled is where male students also often stumble — on graded patrols, where students take turns role-playing as platoon leaders, platoon sergeants or squad leaders, and are evaluated on how they plan and execute missions.
Meant to simulate what it is like for young Army officers and noncommissioned officers to lead troops during deployments, it also tests how well the students improvise, such as reacting to a surprise mortar attack, said Capt. George Calhoun, a platoon tactical trainer who served as a platoon leader in Afghanistan. Do they seize up and just dive for cover? Or do they immediately report their casualties and other information to their company commander, and see whether there is artillery or helicopters or jets that can return fire?
Of the 19 women who began Ranger School this year, most failed the early phases, though one, a major who is also a West Point graduate, is now “recycling,” or retaking, an earlier phase in hopes of progressing to this last segment, which takes place at Camp James E. Rudder, deep inside Eglin Air Force Base in the swampy, sweltering heat of north Florida. The decision on who graduates will not be made until later this month, but typically more than three out of four candidates who make it this far graduate with their class.
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RECENT COMMENTS
Saywhat? 5 hours ago
Women should be treated just like men. They should be required to register for the draft before they can vote and drafted in equal numbers...
JK 7 hours ago
This is all OK ... but equal opportunity and equal treatment are still elusive.When will our lawmakers get in the law that 18 year old...
jmr 8 hours ago
I have deep reservations as to if women belong in the Rangers.Is there a woman on earth that could make the last roster spot on the last...
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The two female lieutenants at Camp Rudder have had to recycle phases, and they have taken longer to make it to the final phase than most students who ultimately graduate from Ranger School. But officers say it is not uncommon for male graduates to have to redo the same number of tasks as the women have.
Traditionalists, meanwhile, have not been happy about the potential of women serving combat roles, fearing they will destroy unit cohesion or lead to lowered standards.
As a point man for one of the biggest debates in the military, Colonel Fivecoat has been on the receiving end of personal attacks on Facebook and elsewhere.
“There is definitely a group out there that is very vocal about this thing, and they’re not real happy with it,” he said. “First the naysayers said, ‘They’re not going be able to do this,’ and then they did it, and then they said, ‘They are not going be able do this part,’ and they did it.”
And even some influential supporters of expanding the roles women play in combat and commando units, like retired Adm. Eric T. Olson, a former head of the military’s Special Operations Command, stop short of endorsing women for all combat jobs. Mr. Olson said last month that he questioned “how tactical leaders will respond to being in a position to put women to take the first bullet on a target.”
The course was also parodied on a military-satire website, Duffel Blog, which joked that a “pickle-jar opening test” was intended to make it harder for female Ranger candidates.
Colonel Fivecoat would not say whether he supported women serving in the infantry because he did not want to get out in front of his own commanders. But allowing them to attend Ranger School was a no-brainer.
“Why would you not want them to get this training, so they can be the best they can possibly be?” he said.
I curious how far behind the U.S. is in training women for front-line duty?It doesn't matter because theres no way to make it succeed. Women aren't fit for combat roles.
Blunt a little?
von, there are ladies going to see this, and a little diplomacy is called for.
I believe what you're saying is that God/the universe/evolution made men for stuff like fighting, and has inherently disadvantaged women, for the most part, in those roles -their gifts lay elsewhere.
See? That wasn't so tough.Interesting.
My stepdaughter who knows no boundaries is in the U.S. Army Reserve schooling for NCO (for now), is in Nursing School, and is a Volunteer Firefighter. This article reminds me of the stories she had to tell from Boot Camp and other training sessions.
I curious how far behind the U.S. is in training women for front-line duty?
Didn't they have to do some serious adjusting because of the tendency od the men to try to protect the women getting both killed more often in combat? Does anyone know how they worked that out?
...Maybe Ranger School is designed on some unexamined assumptions about what a soldier can and needs to be good at. I mean, most of the special forces types I've met are skinny little fellers, small being useful for the sneaking and crawling through culverts and stuff -easier on the body for the climbing part, too, though women are at a disadvantage there- but plenty big enough to carry a gun and a knife.That may be part of it, but I think it's more the smaller, wiry guys have more endurance than the big guys, so are more likely to pass selection from that standpoint.
I've been in a lot of hand-to-hand myself, growing up, and although I'm strong, not fast - I'd really rather be fast, for fighting's sake. I'd rather be Quicksilver than the Hulk; nobody could touch Quicksilver in a RW fight, ever....Bah. You could nuke Hulk, and he'd just get pissed off and stronger.
When you enter the science fiction section of bookstores or surf online book seller websites, it is easy to spot one of the strongest symbols of military science fiction: the full integration of women into the military, including combat roles. Women infantry donned in futuristic armor using futuristic weaponry is a staple of sci-fi and is found across all media. Some creators of these sci-fi proprieties sexualize the female soldier to garner more sales for their product. Others, like myself, present a more realistic idea of female soldiers in future military service. Until recently, women were mostly banned from the combat-center jobs in the military, and this used to be called the "Brass Ceiling". However, the present is catching up the future, with more military organizations are lifting the ban between female soldiers and the combat roles. This even includes the infantry and special forces. With the altering of the modern battlefield and the burred frontlines, more women have seen combat in the 21st century, and this altering reality of modern warfare shifted the point of view on females in combat. While this blogpost has been in the draft since the founding of FWS in summer of 2010, I've waited to craft the right balance and depth needed to explore this trope of science fiction. Paired with the normal discussion of sci-fi's take on female soldiers, I've also included extensive information on modern female soldiers as well. Be warned readers, this is not an easy or funny blogpost, and some of the topics we're going to be discussing are difficult and painfully. It is my intention to education with this blogpost about the various issues facing modern female soldiers and how science fiction deals with the same topic. On a personal note, this blogpost has also been on the blog draft pile for some time, due to the difficult topics associated with female soldiers in modern military service. Also, this blogpost was a challenge to write due to the steer volume of information and the sci-fi examples I drew upon. Those examples took more than three weeks of research and writing, the full blogpost was more two months of work. It is my hope that with this blogpost that the world of female soldiers has been done justice.
Around the global, the IDF is famous for the massive inclusion of females into military service, which goes back to the founding of Israel in 1948. With enemies on all sides of the Jewish nation, it was believed in times of invasion, that all citizens of Israel needed to know how to fight. This was not only a practical tactical decision, but also a deterrent for any enemy wanting to invade. Today, about 92% of all IDF jobs are open to females, and women comprise about 33% of all soldiers, and 51% of their officer corps. In 2000, the mixed sex combat unit, the Caracal Battalion is formed with the idea to test the theory of mixed sex combat units. In 2012, the unit was tested under fire, and successful in the engagement. Today, the Caracal Unit is about 60-70% female. Israel is not like other nations, and the concept of military is so engraving into the national mindset, that a mixed sex military is a not looked at as alien or different. Girls expect to serve, and if Israel is attacked, than women of the Jewish state are expected to fight. We saw this recently with the World War Z film.
Good point about stamina, but that's just another place girl women of the female sort are easily competitive, indeed, they were saying in my youth, have a slight edge.
Give me Quicksilver's powers and a toolkit, and I'll win against a tank every time -allowing for the luck of not running into stray bullets on the battlefield. Give me Quicksilver's powers and some adamantium knucks, you take the Hulk's powers, and I'll knock you unconscious in a minute or two, though my arm will be very tired from hitting you in the same spot 100 times a second. Take it to the bank.
1st women to pass Ranger School are Army pilot, military cophttp://news.yahoo.com/army-pilot-military-cop-1st-women-pass-ranger-090909029.html# (http://news.yahoo.com/army-pilot-military-cop-1st-women-pass-ranger-090909029.html#)
Associated Press
By RUSS BYNUM 1 hour ago
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On Thursday, August 20th the first two women set to graduate from the US Army's grueling Ranger school will speak to the press for the first time. Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver are the first female soldiers to make it through the Army's tough 62 day course.
FORT BENNING, Ga. (AP) — The first two women to pass the Army's notoriously difficult Ranger School impressed male classmates left in their dust during road marches and proved their mettle as teammates by helping carry heavy weapons when others were too fatigued to lift another ounce.
As the Pentagon weighs a decision on allowing women to serve in combat jobs long held by men only, a Ranger School comrade offered a blunt assessment of Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver as they spoke to reporters Thursday.
"They can serve by my side anytime because I know I can trust them," 2nd Lt. Erickson Krogh said. "Especially these two. I'd have no qualms about serving with them in combat."
Griest, 26, of Orange, Connecticut, and Haver, 25, of Copperas Cove, Texas, will become the first women to wear the Army's coveted Ranger tab when they graduate alongside 94 male soldiers Friday at Fort Benning.
Despite proving their grit in the two-month Ranger course, the two women are still unable to join infantry, armor and special forces units — including the 75th Ranger Regiment. That could change next year after the Pentagon makes its recommendations.
At a news conference Friday, the women stopped short of saying they earned a place in combat units by finishing the notoriously grueling two-month Ranger course — something only about 3 percent of Army soldiers accomplish. But Griest said she hopes the achievement at least carries some weight in the final decisions.
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U.S. Army Army 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, right, speaks with reporters, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015, at Fort Benning, Ga., where she was scheduled to graduate Friday from the Army’s elite Ranger School. Haver and Army Capt. Kristen Griest are the first two women to complete the notoriously grueling Ranger course, which the Army opened to women this spring as it studies whether to open more combat jobs to female soldiers. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)
"I'm definitely interested to see what new doors do open up for women," said Griest, a military police officer and Afghanistan veteran stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
She said she might be interested in a special forces career if that path was open to her.
Haver, an Apache helicopter pilot stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, said she plans to stick with aviation. She acknowledged going into Ranger School with some doubts as to how male soldiers would react.
"It's pretty cool that they have accepted us," she said. "We ourselves came into this with our guard up just in case there were haters or naysayers. But we didn't come with chips on our shoulders like we had anything to prove."
Several male classmates chosen by the Army to attend a news conference with Griest and Haver acknowledged they too weren't sure at first that female soldiers could handle long marches and patrols carrying rucksacks, rifles and other gear weighing 100 pounds or more.
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U.S. Army Capt. Kristen Griest of Orange, Connecticut, speaks with reporters Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015, at Fort Benning, Ga., where she was scheduled to graduate Friday from the Army’s elite Ranger School. Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver are the first two women to complete the notoriously grueling Ranger course, which the Army opened to women this spring as it studies whether to open more combat jobs to female soldiers. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)
Spc. Christopher Carvalho, a medic in the same Ranger school class, said his skepticism ended on the first road march when the women left many of their male counterparts far behind.
"Right then and there that's what validated me to say these women are here to stay," Carvalho said.
Classmates 2nd Lt. Michael Janowski and 2nd Lt. Zachary Hanger both told of how Haver and Griest jumped in to help carry heavy loads when other male trainees were too fatigued to assist.
Hanger called the women "absolutely physical studs."
Haver and Griest — both graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point — not only finished the course they started in April. They both had to start from scratch, having failed two previous attempts.
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In this April 26, 2015, photo, 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, one of the 20 female soldiers, who is among the 400 students who qualified to start Ranger School, tackles the Darby Queen obstacle course, one of the toughest obstacle courses in U.S. Army training, at Fort Benning, in Ga. Haver and Capt. Kristen Griest are the first women to complete the U.S. Army's grueling Ranger School and were scheduled to graduate Friday, Aug. 21, alongside 94 male soldiers at Fort Benning, Ga., families of the soldiers confirmed Wednesday. (Robin Trimarchi/Ledger-Enquirer via AP)
"These two soldiers have absolutely earned the respect of every Ranger instructor," Command Sgt. Major Curtis Arnold told reporters. "They do not quit and they do not complain."
Arnold said he suspects Haver and Griest had extra motivation to graduate "because you know everyone is watching. And truthfully there are probably a few folks who want you to fail. So you've got to put out 110 percent."
Both women were among 19 female soldiers who enrolled in Ranger school in April. During the last of their three attempts, 364 soldiers started and only 96 finished.
Before this spring, only men had been allowed to enroll since the Ranger School opened in 1972.
Ranger School teaches soldiers combat skills, from standard patrols to raids and air assaults, while pushing the limits of the trainees' physical and mental endurance. It's considered one of the most difficult courses in the Army.
Soldiers spend days scaling mountains in north Georgia and slogging through swampy terrain in Florida. They travel long distances by foot carrying rucksacks, weapons and other gear weighing 100 pounds or more. And they don't get much chance to rest or refuel.
For much of the course, Ranger trainees are fed just twice a day, eating nothing but military rations sealed in plastic bags. Many nights they get only a single hour of sleep.
"You're way too tired and way too hungry to care" about the gender of fellow Ranger School classmates, said Staff Sgt. Michael Calderon, one of the women's classmates. "In your mind you knew what was going on, but at the end of the day everyone was a Ranger."