U.S. Reps. Mcsally, Gabbard Introduce Resolution Congratulating Army Ranger Women

Press Release

U.S. Representatives Martha McSally (R-AZ) and Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) today led a bipartisan group of Members of Congress in introducing a resolution congratulating the first women graduates of U.S. Army Ranger School. Captain Kristen Griest and First Lieutenant Shaye Haver made history on August 21, 2015 when they became the first female graduates of the grueling Army Ranger training regimen.

"Ultimately, Ranger School is a leadership course, and that has nothing to do with gender," said Rep. McSally, a retired Air Force Colonel and the first woman to fly in combat and command a combat squadron. "By taking on and completing this incredibly grueling and demanding course, Captain Griest and First Lieutenant Haver showed they are the best of the best, with the mental and physical strength needed to be Army combat leaders. I couldn't be prouder of their tremendous accomplishments. They earned the right to wear the Ranger tab; now they deserve the right to serve alongside their peers."

"CPT Kristen Griest and 1LT Shaye Haver have made history, blazing a trail and showing what's possible for their fellow service men and women," said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a twice-deployed combat veteran and captain in the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard. "We congratulate and commemorate their accomplishments and recognize the strength, determination, and perseverance that was required to earn the honor of being a Ranger in the U.S. Army."

The House resolution introduced today is cosponsored by every female Member of the House Armed Services Committee and follows the announcement of a similar resolution in the U.S. Senate led by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Barbara Milkulski (D-MD), and supported by every female Senator.

Roughly 400 students, including 19 women, sought to complete the latest Army Ranger School. Of that, only 93 earned the Ranger tab. A third woman is completing the third and final phase of the course.

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