First Women Set to Graduate from Army's Grueling Ranger Training School
Two women have made it through the 62-day course
— -- Two female soldiers are set to graduate Friday from the prestigious Army Ranger training camp -- the first in history to make it through the grueling course, officials said.
"Ranger School is the Army’s premier combat leadership course, teaching Ranger students how to overcome fatigue, hunger, and stress to lead Soldiers during small unit combat operations," read a statement from the military announcing the women’s successful completion of the course.
The 62-day course "pushes Ranger students to their mental and physical limits by forcing them to operate on minimal food and sleep," the statement says.
Though they will have earned the prestigious Ranger Tab for having completed the course, the two women will not be eligible to try out to serve in the 75th Ranger Regiment as women are not yet allowed to serve in that special operations combat unit.
That could change early next year when Defense Secretary Ash Carter will decide whether to allow women to be eligible to serve in all combat units.
The two women were among 19 women who initially began the months-long course as part of the Army’s ongoing assessment of integrating women into all combat units.