2 Female Soldiers Advance To Final Phase of Army Ranger School

[big_dog]

Source: The Arizona Daily Star-9 hours ago

Two of the three women trying to become the first females to complete the most difficult mental and physical training offered by the U.S. Army have moved within one step of earning the Ranger tab. The Army announced Friday that two of the three women, who were all West Point graduates, passed the mountain phase of the patrols and will move to Florida this weekend to begin the swamp phase, which is the final step in the arduous training.

There are 125 male soldiers moving with the women to Camp Rudder, near Destin, Fla. There were about 200 soldiers in the class when it started July 11 at Camp Merrill in the north Georgia mountains. The woman who did not pass the mountain phase will be given a second attempt in the mountains. Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis L. Smith, whose last assignment was in 2012 with the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade at Fort Benning, said the two women have passed some of the toughest parts of the course.

"Statistically speaking, there is a 90 percent success rate once the course moves to Florida," said Smith, who owns Uncommon Athlete, a Columbus fitness facility that offers a Ranger School preparation program. "Do I think we are about to have a female Ranger? I think we are real close to having two." Smith noted that injury, sickness or some unforeseen mistake could derail them as the course moves into the swamps.

The two women have emerged from a group of about 130 women who came to Fort Benning earlier this year to participate in a pre-Ranger course. That number was cut to 20, of which 19 started the first Ranger School course to include women on April 19. The Army described it as a pilot program on gender integration. Maj. Gen. Scott Miller, commanding general of the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, and Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy L. Metheny observed the patrols in the mountains.



Read more: http://azdailysun.com/female-soldiers-advancing-to-final-phase-of-army-ranger-school/article_6359543a-91de-534d-9dae-d2fc19ac3d06.html

[msanthrope]

1. Best of luck to them! nt

[big_dog]

2. 90% chance of TWO GI Janes... hoo-rah!

n/t

[LynneSin]

4. Let's not insult them with that piece of crap movie

I was really looking forward to that movie and it was just awful. Vig Mortesson is such a talented actor not sure how broke he was to actually agree to be in that crappy movie

[alphafemale]

10. That was SEAL trading wasn'f it.

As I understand that was opened up this year as well. Some of the women made it partway through but none made it all the way.

It really is only a matter of time before some women complete the program.

[alphafemale]

6. If 100 push-ups in two minutes is a requirement for completion?

And they can't do it?

Of course they fail.

Why should they not?

You want to bind women in bubble wrap?

[tabasco]

7. There is no requirement to do 100 pushups in two minutes

I'm a Ranger School graduate.

[we can do it]

9. I've done 100 push-ups under 2 minutes what's your point.

I also pulled a charged 3 inch house faster than 60 percent of the men I worked with- could you do either or are you just running your mouth?

[hedda_foil]

19. What the heck is a "charged 3 inch house"

[we can do it]

20. 3 inch diameter firehose full of water.

[blackspade]

14. please retype so this word salad makes sense.

thanks....

[Skittles]

15. poor Red1

soooooo easily threatened by strong women

[shanti]

22. true

and "feminazi"? ok.........

[geek tragedy]

16. How have you lasted this long at DU?

Your toxic misogyny is on full display in the post where you actually called someone a "Feminazi."

[alphafemale]

5. If they can pass through the training they deserve it

They will earn the respect.

The standards for admittance to such an elite group should never, ever be lowered for women though.

Push-ups from the knees my ass.

Do the program or fail dismally.

[candelista]

8. Equal opportunity to serve the empire.

I have mixed feelings about this. So should everyone else.

[madville]

21. Equal opportunity to kill

Brown and black people all over the world, must be exciting for them.

[Joey Liberal]

11. I hope they make it!

It'll be great to watch GOP heads explode when at least one, maybe two women earn ranger tabs.

[geek tragedy]

17. One exploded in this thread. nt

[Aristus]

18. The recently departed reminds me of someone I had it out with

In The Tankers Lounge on Facebook, a hang-out for former & current tank crewmen.

There had been some buzz about females serving on tanks, and he was getting his panties in a frist about it, constantly citing 'biological differences' among women for his objections to them serving on tanks. I went about 18 rounds with him, citing the long, long, long list of things women accomplished despite the doubts and objections of men. Including past service of Russian women on tanks, and the current service of Israeli women on tanks. He finally gave up any pretense of rational argument, and just sputtered that I was "one of those liberals!"

I said: "Yes, I am, thank you!" and gave up. Some people just aren't very comfortable living in the 21st Century...