Haver and Capt. Kristen Griest became the first f…

Since women were first permitted to join the course, numerous female soldiers who tried to complete the ranger school failed.

U.S. Army Rangers demonstrate everything from rappelling, to crawling across a tightwire ahead of graduation, August 21, 2015.

Days before the Army Ranger School will graduate its first two women, some Republican presidential candidates have come out in support of the two women who passed the rigorous training. Major Gen. Austin S. Miller, commanding general of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, said that nothing about the program was changed to accommodate for having female participants, and the women were held to the same standards as the male soldiers.

In a Friday morning ceremony at the Army’s Ranger headquarters in Fort Benning, Georgia, 1st Lt. Shaye Haver and Capt. Kristen Griest graduated from the Army’s elite Ranger School, ending its six decade history as an all-male institution. However, they are still barred from serving in the infantry and Special Operations units, and they will not become part of the 75th Ranger Regiment for an odd, if not ironic reason.

Griest, 26, has served in Aghanistan as a military police office, r and Haver, 25, flew Apache helicopters.

Bravo to her and Lieutenant Haver for decimating the myth that women are inherently weaker than men. Both of these fantastic women came from West Point.

Not only does the class boast the two women, but a soldier who beat cancer twice to earn his tab, and several who survived a lightning strike that hit the class last week during training in the Florida swamps, Arnold said.

Addressing the graduates, Maj. But, more importantly, you carry the title of Ranger from here on out. Ranger School is a 62-day course described as the Army’s premiere infantry leadership course, an ordeal that pushes students to their physical and mental limits.

Griest’s and Haver’s accomplishments are significant in their own right, but what is especially heartening is the generational connection they feel to the women who will follow them.

“It’s a really big deal” for them and for the Army, he said. “A lot of the time, you couldn’t tell the difference between the men and women”, said Colonel David Fivecoat, commander of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade.

“The Army announced earlier this year that it would begin allowing females to attend Ranger School, and 1LT Griest is well on her way to making history!” it said. Not only did a significant number of women not make it, but many men also didn’t make it. “Griest was quiet, and looking at her, you wouldn’t think she could perform as well as she did…Quiet but very strong and very humble”, said Myrick.