In August, two soldiers made history by becoming the first women to graduate from the Army's Ranger School. The soldiers, 1st Lt. Elc Big City Garage Manual 96 more. Shaye Haver and Capt. Kristen Griest, graduated along with 94 men after 19 women and 381 men total attended the first Ranger School course in April. A third woman was still attempting to complete the 62-day course in late September. Editors note: Maj. Lisa Jaster, successfully completed the Army Ranger School and graduated in October after this article was originally published.

From the onset, critics have said the Army's decision to implement a one-time, integrated assessment this year at Ranger School, in response to a 2013 directive from former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to open combat roles to women before 2016, was a political maneuver, and they claim concessions were made to give the female soldiers a better chance of graduating. A spokesperson at Fort Benning, home of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade overseeing Ranger School, said training standards for Ranger School are gender-neutral. At the time of graduation, Maj. Scott Miller, commanding general of the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, reiterated that standards for completing Ranger School are the same for men and women.

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Miller said he received no pressure from senior Army leaders to change the standards, and he even warned them about the possibility that no women would graduate, according to the Army Times. Griest, for one, does not want the standards to change. 'No woman that I know wanted to go to Ranger School if they changed the standards,' Griest said at an August press conference. 'Maintaining the standards is absolutely imperative. We're leaders in the Army.

We're expected to do what we ask of our soldiers and then some. We're supposed to be leading from the front.' A closer look at the standards and the requirements soldiers must go through shows just how grueling the Ranger School exercises are for both men and women. RUGGED REQUIREMENTS Ranger School is divided into three phases: the Fort Benning phase (20 days), the mountain phase (20 days) and the Florida phase (16 days).

The first part of the Benning phase is the Ranger Assessment Phase in which soldiers must meet the minimum requirements in the following categories: 49 push-ups in 2 minutes; 59 sit-ups in 2 minutes; six pull-ups; a 2-mile run in 15 minutes, 12 seconds; a 5-mile run in 40 minutes; a 16-mile hike with a 65-pound pack in 5 hours, 20 minutes; and a pass/fail 15-meter swim with gear. To be competitive, soldiers are recommended to increase their scores to the following: 80 push-ups in 2 minutes; 80 sit-ups in 2 minutes; 12 pull-ups; a 2-mile run in under 13 minutes; a 5-mile run in 35 minutes; a 16-mile hike with a 65-pound pack in four to five hours; and a pass/fail 15-meter swim with gear. Stew Smith, a former Navy SEAL who is a fitness author and certified strength and conditioning specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, wrote tips on how to prepare for Ranger School on Military.com. 'The most important pre-training exercise to do prior to Ranger School is walking fast in your boots with 50 pounds of weight on your back,' according to Smith. 'You will do this every day you are at Ranger School.