I’ll say this upfront: there’s absolutely no shame at all in the first female soldier to enroll in the U.S. Army’s prestigious and grueling Green Beret training failing out because it’s one of the most rigorous tests of the human body in existence. Furthermore, the first female enlisted soldier to attempt the Green Beret training made it to the second half of the course, something 10-15% of men drop out before achieving. With that said, her inability to complete the course and subsequent failure IS newsworthy because she’s the first female enlisted soldier to ever be accepted into the training program and people have kept a close eye on this story for quite some time.
via the WashingtonTimes.com
The enlisted soldier is the first woman to attend the U.S. Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS), the first step toward earning the Special Forces tab and the coveted Green Beret. The Times reported in July that two female officer candidates have been accepted to attend an SFAS class that begins in the spring.
The female soldier, whom Army officials did not identify by name, had reported to the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on Sept. 2. She passed the physical fitness test and the first half of the grueling, 21-day weeding-out process, during which 10 percent to 15 percent of her classmates dropped out.
During this week’s “Land Navigation” phase of the training, she either withdrew voluntarily, was medically dropped or was administratively removed for not meeting standards, three sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity told The Times. Pending review boards, she may try again. Historically, 1-in-3 candidates pass the entire course.
Special Ops/Special Forces absolutely LOVE to bicker over what the hardest military training course is. In general, the five courses considered to be the most difficult are the Navy’s BUDS, USAF’s Pararescue School, this Green Beret training course, USMC’s Basic Recon, and Army Ranger School. Only the most finely tuned soldiers on the planet are able to complete these courses, they require a level of both physical and mental stamina that someone like myself cannot even begin to comprehend.
The numbers were never in this soldier’s favor. With only 1-3 candidates passing the course each time out of 300 AND her being the first female soldier to ever attempt the course the odds were almost unfathomable that she’d complete the training.
…For more on this story you can click on over to the Washington Times…