The first women to complete Army Ranger school said Thursday they hope their ability to finish the rigorous course will influence senior leaders’ decisions on whether to open the special operations community to women this year.
“I do hope that with our performance in Ranger school we’ve been able to inform that decision,” Capt. Kristen Griest said during a media roundtable at Fort Benning, Ga. “We can handle things physically and mentally on the same level as men.”
Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver will become the first women to wear the prestigious Ranger tab when they graduate Friday morning alongside 94 men.
The Army began the first gender-integrated Ranger school course in April as part of a military-wide effort to examine what the standards should be for combat positions and if women can meet them. After January, services will need to request an exemption from the secretary of defense for any position they want to remain male-only.
As one of the first to take on the challenging course, Griest said she felt pressure to succeed because she knew how badly she wanted to attend while finishing her degree at West Point. She also wanted to do what she could to make that possible for other women who wanted it just as badly.
Griest said she knows “a lot of women” who are interested in Ranger school who would have a good shot at passing and said she would encourage them to try it.
The Army plans to open another Ranger class to women in November, officials said.
To women who want to take on such a tough course, enduring at least 62 days of minimal sleep and food while being pushed to their physical and mental limits, Haver said the course requires more mental endurance than physical.
“I hope that they come with a strong mind, that’s what it takes to get through here,” she said.
The men described their female counterparts as dependable, trustworthy and someone they would want by their side at war or in a foxhole. Haver’s partner said she was always the first to volunteer to carry additional weight to help her teammates no matter how badly she was hurting.
While the men said they were glad to be a part of history, they largely said having the women in their course didn’t change their experience.
“You’re way too tired and way too hungry to honestly care,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Calderon. “At the end of the day, everyone was a Ranger.”
Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Thursday that he had personally spoken with Griest and Haver to congratulate them.
“These two soldiers are trailblazers,” he said. “After all, that’s what it means to be a Ranger. Rangers lead the way.”
Services are still looking at what the standards should be to open some combat jobs and if women can meet them. Carter said services will submit any requests to keep a position closed to women by Oct. 1, so he could make a final decision by the end of the year.
Haver, a pilot, said she plans to stay in the aviation community regardless of what decisions are made about opening Ranger billets to women. Griest, who now serves as a military police officer, said she would be interested in serving in special operations if that door opens.
