One woman who repeated the Mountain Phase of Ranger School successfully passed on the second try and will begin the final Swamp Phase of the elite training program on Saturday.
The Army announced Friday that the woman, along with 103 men, will move onto the third phase of Ranger School. Forty-five men will be given the chance to try the Mountain Phase a second time, and 16 men will be dropped from the school entirely.
Two women graduated Ranger School last week, becoming the first to wear the Ranger tab. They told reporters that they hoped their success in the program would open doors for other women and inform decisions made by senior leaders this year about whether all combat positions should be opened to women.
Retired Gen. Raymond Odierno, former chief of staff of the Army, said the service will likely run another gender-integrated Ranger class in November. Capt. Kristen Griest, one of the women who graduated, said she knew a lot of qualified women who would be interested.
Nineteen women began the first gender-integrated class of Ranger School in April. Eight made it through the first week, known as the Ranger Assessment Phase, which includes sit-ups, push-ups and a timed run. Three of those women passed the first portion of training, known as Darby Phase, on the third try.
The two women who eventually graduated passed Mountain Phase on the first try, while the one woman moving to Swamp Phase on Saturday had to repeat the second phase that includes knot tying, rappelling and a hike through the mountains of Georgia.
Approximately 34 percent of Ranger School students have to repeat at least one phase, according to the Army’s website.
