FORT BENNING, Ga — Capping their history-making week, the first female soldiers to complete the Army's rigorous Ranger School graduated Friday, putting a spotlight on the debate over opening all combat roles to women.
First Lt. Shaye Haver of Copperas Cove, Texas, and Capt. Kristen Griest of Orange, Connecticut, pinned on the black-and-gold Ranger tab at a graduation ceremony along with 94 male soldiers at Fort Benning, Georgia. They finished the nine-week training program on Monday.
Their success points up the obstacles that remain to women who aspire to join certain all-male combat units, including the 75th Ranger Regiment. Although Haver and Griest are Ranger-qualified, they are not eligible to join the Ranger regiment, although officials say it is among the special operation units likely to be opened to women.
