Two GI Janes on the brink of history: Women within days of becoming the first females to pass the US Army's grueling Ranger School

  • The two women and 125 men successfully completed the 18-day Mountain Phase of the course and have begun final phase
  • The 17-day Swamp Phase began on Sunday at Camp Rudder in Eglin Air Force Base in Florida
  • Those who meet standards for the final phase will graduate on August 21 at Victory Pond in Fort Benning, Georgia
  • 19 women began the training program in April but 17 have been eliminated
  • Ranger School is an elite training program reserved for most physically fit and soundest of moral fiber in the U.S. Army 

Two women are on course to make U.S. Army history by becoming the first females to graduate from the elite and hugely demanding Ranger School after advancing to the final phase, officials said.

The women, along with 125 men, successfully completed the 18-day Mountain Phase of the course in the North Georgia mountains.

The group began the final 17-day Swamp Phase of Ranger School at Camp Rudder in Eglin Air Force Base in Florida on Sunday, Military.com reported.

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A female Army Ranger student crosses the Yellow River on a rope bridge on Tuesday in Florida. Two out of 19 females have made it to the final phase of Army Ranger training which ends at Camp James E. Rudder on Eglin Air Force Base

A female Army Ranger student crosses the Yellow River on a rope bridge on Tuesday in Florida. Two out of 19 females have made it to the final phase of Army Ranger training which ends at Camp James E. Rudder on Eglin Air Force Base

A female Army Ranger student lifts a rucksack onto her back during the Swamp Phase of the elite and demanding Ranger Course. Those who successfully complete the final phase will graduate on August 21

A female Army Ranger student lifts a rucksack onto her back during the Swamp Phase of the elite and demanding Ranger Course. Those who successfully complete the final phase will graduate on August 21

'The Ranger students, both male and female, are two-thirds of the way done with Ranger School,' Colonel David Fivecoat, commander of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade, said in a July 31 release.

'I was very impressed with the students' toughness at leading platoon-size patrols in the North Georgia Mountains, during this extremely hot summer.

'The coastal swamps of Florida will continue to test the students - only the best will be successful and earn the Ranger Tab.'

The final phase includes extended platoon-level operations that will take place in the coastal swamp near Valparaiso.

One of the two female Ranger students holds a position with her team during an exercise on Tuesday at Camp James E. Rudder on Eglin Air Force Base. Pentagon leaders decided in 2013 to investigate the possibility  of opening all military jobs to women

One of the two female Ranger students holds a position with her team during an exercise on Tuesday at Camp James E. Rudder on Eglin Air Force Base. Pentagon leaders decided in 2013 to investigate the possibility of opening all military jobs to women

The Swamp Phase consists of four days of waterborne operations training, a ten-day field training exercise with student-led patrols, two jumps for airborne qualified personnel and two administrative days where students are counseled on their performance during the final phase, according to Military.com.

LAST TWO FEMALE MARINES WHO ATTEMPTED TO PASS MARINE INFANTRY OFFICER COURSE CUT 

In April, the last two female Marines who attempted to the Marine Infantry Officer Course were cut from the course that began on April 2.

The Marine Corps opened its rigorous 13-week training course to women in 2012, but none of the 29 women who attempted the course passed.

The experiment was apart of the Pentagon’s effort to determine how it should integrate female service members into more jobs.

The two women who attempted the course were among 81 of the 90 male Marines who applied for the program that were also cut during the course's initial Combat Endurance Test.

During the course, Marines are tested to endure rigorous physical tests and written exams with little food or sleep, all of which are geared toward pushing them to their physical and mental limits.

Students who successfully complete the Swamp Phase will graduate from the course on August 21 at Victory Pond in Fort Benning, Georgia.

The two females who passed the Mountain Phase were required, along with the other students, to pass a knot test, complete a 1.8 mile foot march up Mount Yonah as well as meet the standards on platoon-level combat patrols, the release said.

Six men did not meet the standards and will be dropped from Ranger School.

The decisions regarding which students remain to complete the course are made during a leadership board counseling session that meets at the end of each phase, according to Military.com.

In July, it was reported that three women and 158 male counterparts finished the most selective portion of training, known worldwide for its difficulty, before the second phase was completed.

A total of 19 women began the training program in April but 17 have been eliminated.

One woman and 60 men will be given a second chance to pass the Mountain Phase which will start on Saturday, according to Military.com.

Army Rangers students carry a zodiac boat into the Yellow River on during the final phase and a female Ranger student is pictured (middle left). A total of 19 women began the training program in April but 17 have been eliminated

Army Rangers students carry a zodiac boat into the Yellow River on during the final phase and a female Ranger student is pictured (middle left). A total of 19 women began the training program in April but 17 have been eliminated

The Ranger School welcomed women for the first time this year, following President Barack Obama's 2013 request that the Pentagon order all branches of the armed forces to open up ground combat jobs to women by 2016.

Ranger School is an elite training program reserved for the most physically fit and soundest of moral fiber in the U.S. Army, who feed into the 75th Ranger Regiment, an elite special operations force.

The fate of the two remaining women is being closely monitored by the military community, where women in combat is still divisive.

TWO WOMEN MAKE IT TO FINAL PHASE OF U.S. ARMY'S TOUGHEST COURSE

Ranger School is the Army’s most challenging course where Ranger students train to exhaustion for 62 days.

The Ranger Course is a mentally and physically challenging school that develops functional skills directly related to units whose mission is to engage the enemy in close combat and direct fire battle. 

The two-month course consists of three phases which include Benning, Mountain and Swamp, which follow the crawl, walk, run training methodology. 

Benning phase: In this 21-day phase, Ranger students are trained on squad operations and focus on ambush and recon missions, patrol base operations and planning. Students are required to complete 49 push-ups, 59 sit-ups, a 5-mile run in 40:00 minutes, and six chin-ups during the Ranger Physical Assessment. They then move on to platoon operations.

Mountain phase: Ranger students develop skills at the platoon level in order to refine and complete their training in the Swamp phase. They learn about knots, belays, anchor points, rope management, and the basic fundamentals of climbing and rappelling in this phase.

Swamp phase: This phase focuses on students continued development of leadership and small unit tactics. Students conduct ten days of patrolling during a highly stressful and challenging field exercise.

Following the three phases, Ranger Students become proficient in leading squad and platoon dismounted operations around the clock in all climates and terrain.

Source: U.S. Army 

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