Five years ago today, the first women graduated from the U.S. Army Ranger School at Fort Benning.
It marked a significant moment in the gender integration of the Army.
Ranger School is arguably the toughest course the U.S. Army offers. It tests mental and physical toughness — in a challenging environment that deprives soldiers of food and sleep.
On August 21, 2015. Capt. Kristen Griest and Capt. Shaye Haver were the first women to graduate from Ranger School.
Five years later, Griest and Haver are still in the Army, assigned to units in the Washington D.C. area.
This week they did exclusive interviews with News 3 and reflected on the Ranger School experience.
“I wanted to go to Ranger School since I heard about it when I was 18 at West Point,” Griest said. “It was an eight-year process for me to get into that school. I wouldn’t have missed the opportunity, I tried to enjoy it while I was in it. I think after about eight hours I was ready to get out. It was definitely not the fun experience I thought it was going to be.”
She says it was worth it.
