2 female soldiers are the first to graduate from Army Ranger School

An Army Ranger patch.
(Image credit: CC by: Justin Connaher)

Two women will graduate on Friday from the U.S. Army's Ranger School, the first female soldiers to complete the course since it was opened earlier this year to women on an experimental basis.

The two-month course, which has been closed to women since it opened more than 60 years ago, is extremely challenging and physically demanding, with participants receiving little food and sleep while embarking on difficult missions like carrying 100 pounds of gear through swamps and mountains. Although the soldiers will receive the Ranger tab, they will not be allowed to join the infantry or ground combat jobs, which will remain closed to women at least through this year, USA Today reports. The Pentagon has ordered that after this year, all occupations have to be open to women.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.