Conn. Woman One Of The First Two Female Ranger School Grads

Chris Haver is a former Apache pilot for the Army, and the younger Haver grew up wanting to follow in her father’s footsteps.

Although they did not initially pass the standard, they impressed Ranger School leaders enough to earn re-dos – allowing them to start the entire course over from Day 1. In Ranger School, standards did not go down at all: A few good women just rose to meet them.

In her hometown’s paper, Haver called her acceptance to West Point her “calling”.

Griest and Haver, who are both in their mid-20s, faced media questions at an event at Fort Benning, Georgia on Thursday, wearing Army fatigues with hair cropped short just like their male peers. “If she had been allowed to go infantry out of college, she would have done that”, he said.

Thom “Jake” Jacobs coaches girls’ track now at Amity but coached boys when Griest was in high school. “I was the 320 gunner [a grenade launcher], so I had a lot of weight on me and I was struggling”. “Kristen and Shaye have more than earned their right to wear Ranger tabs on their uniforms and I know that their achievement represents a monumental step toward ending gender barriers in the military”, he said in a statement.

“We’re proceeding in a measured and responsible way to open positions to women and in all cases, notify Congress prior to opening them”, Davis said. A third woman remains in the course.

“But I never actually thought anything was going to be too hard that it was worth leaving the course”, she said. The students were forced to train with minimal food and little sleep and had to learn how to operate in the woods, mountains and swamplands. 1st Class Tiffany Myrick, a military police noncommissioned officer who served as an observer and adviser at Ranger Schools, told Defense One.

“Like every Ranger serving today, they’ll help lead the finest fighting force the world has ever known”, said Carter referring to the recent graduates.

I always watch for shaking. But after hearing the details of their grueling training, we guarantee you’ll be even more impressed (by all the graduates in fact), if that’s even possible.

Haver and Griest will graduate Friday. “But that was more important to us, becoming teammates with our Ranger buddies that we’re graduating with tomorrow”, Haver said.

“I couldn’t be more proud and humbled by the experience”, Haver said.

In the final phase of the training in Florida, Griest and Haver blended in nearly seamlessly among other students paddling small rubber boats up the Yellow River on Eglin Air Force Base.

Several of the men graduating noted that any doubts they had quickly evaporated over exhausting and sweaty days during which the women shared their pain equally and gender was not an issue.

Myrick said Griest “was quiet, and looking at her, you wouldn’t think she could perform as well as she did….”

Defense Secretary Ash Carter is giving the chiefs of the military services until October. 1 to tell him which combat posts should remain closed to female service-members and is requiring them to provide documentation to justify the exclusion.

Teachers and friends of the two female officers said Wednesday that while both women were strong, disciplined athletes, perhaps the most distinguishing feature was their focus. He said she has run marathons and competed in triathlons for West Point. “It’s a totally different use of your body and [requires] mind discipline”, Mahon said.

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