Just like Kent State's April Goss, two women soldiers have broken through an extraordinarily tough barrier. They have passed the strenuous tests necessary to become an Army Ranger. But they won't know if they can actually join the rangers, until January.
Barbara Starr has the story.
--REPORTER PKG-AS FOLLOWS--
(nats)
FOR MILITARY WOMEN, HISTORY IS MADE.
FOR THE FIRST TIME TWO FEMALE SOLDIERS HAVE PASSED THE GRUELING 62-DAY ARMY RANGER TRAINING PROGRAM.
BUT EVEN AFTER ALL THE HARD TRAINING ....
THE PENTAGON STILL WON'T LET WOMEN ACTUALLY JOIN THE ELITE 75TH RANGER REGIMENT--ONE OF THE NATIONS PREMIER SPECIAL OPERATIONS UNITS.
THAT DECISION MUST BE MADE BY JANUARY.
ARMY WOMEN WANT NO SPECIAL TREATMENT.
AMBER SMITH FLEW HELICOPTERS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.
(Amber Smith/Former Army Helicopter Pilot)
"The standard cannot be lowered it has to be, what I always like to say is there has to be a mission standard not a gender standard. It needs to be straight across the board and there needs to be that physical and mental strength to accomplish the mission."
THE 75TH RANGER REGIMENTS EXPERTISE: LARGE-SCALE ENTRY INTO A COMBAT ZONE, UNDER FIRE, WHILE EXECUTING SURGICAL RAIDS ON TARGETS TO TAKE OUT ANY THREATS.
HOW HARD IS RANGER SCHOOL?
400 STUDENTS STARTED.
ONLY 96 GRADUATED.
OF THE 19 WOMEN WHO BEGAN, 16 DROPPED OUT, ONE IS STILL WORKING TO GET THROUGH THE PROGRAM.
LITTLE SLEEP AND FOOD IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
SOLDIERS MUST DO 49 PUSH-UPS, 59 SIT-UPS, A FIVE MILE RUN IN 40 MINUTES.
A 12-MILE FOOT MARCH IN THREE HOURS;
PARACHUTE JUMPS, HELICOPTER ASSAULTS AND 27 DAYS OF MOCK COMBAT PATROLS.
THE ARMY'S TOP GENERAL HAS YET TO MAKE HIS RECOMMENDATION ABOUT WHETHER WOMEN WILL ACTUALLY BE ALLOWED TO SERVE AS RANGERS AND IN OTHER FRONT LINE COMBAT UNITS.
(Gen. Mark Milley/Army Chief of Staff)
"I wanna take a hard look at all that and make sure that the standards are being met at the readiness force//there's no doubt. I've seen it personally, up close and -- and real. There's no doubt in my mind that women can engage in ground combat with the enemies of our nation, because they've done it."
Instructional Links
Website: The Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade
http://www.benning.army.mil/infantry/rtb/
Chart: Women's Progress in the U.S. Miiitary
http://labs.time.com/story/women-in-military/
Website Article: A History of Women in the U.S. Military