#fort benning

“An MP on motorcycle stands ready to answer all calls around his area. Columbus, Georgia,” 4/13/1942

Series: Photographs of American Military Activities, ca. 1918 - ca. 1981

Record Group 111: Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, 1860 - 1985

Image description: A Black soldier sits on a motorcycle. He wears a service cap, holster, and tall boots with his uniform. A sign on the building behind him reads, “MILITARY POLICE / COLORED.”

4th Division making a trip from Fort Benning to Panama City

(Horace Bristol. n.d.)

Captain Kristen Griest (left) and First Lieutenant Shaye Haver (right) have become the first women to graduate from the the US Army Ranger SchoolinFort Benning, Georgia.

Griest, a military police officer, and Haver, an Apache helicopter pilot, made history on 21st August 2015 by graduating from the Ranger School having completed an intensive 62-day course which included parachute jumps, helicopter assaults, a 5-mile run in 40 minutes and a 12-mile foot march in 3 hours. They were also trained in specialist skills such as small unit leadership and swamp survival.

This was the first time female soldiers were allowed to take part in the US Army’s toughest training as part of an ongoing effort to open up combat roles for women. The commander of the school, Major General Scott Miller, hit back against accusations on the internet that standards were lowered for the female soldiers, pointing out that the physical tests were exactly the same for all candidates and that “The 5-mile run is still 5 miles, the times do not adjust.”

Both women described how they received some skepticism from their male colleagues but this quickly evaporated as they proved themselves in the physical challenges, including their completion of a 3-day mountain march carrying 50 pounds of gear, which many of the male candidates failed to complete. Moving forward Griest has expressed an interest in joining a special forces unit, although such roles are currently unavailable to women in the US Army. Haver stated that she will be returning to her role as a helicopter pilot.

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Newspaper sources:

• http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/20/us-usa-military-women-idUSKCN0QP0CE20150820
• http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/21/women-graduate-us-army-ranger-school
• http://news.yahoo.com/army-pilot-military-cop-1st-women-pass-ranger-090909029.html
• http://ktla.com/2015/08/20/2-women-set-to-be-first-ever-female-graduates-of-grueling-us-army-ranger-school/