For the first time in its 34-year history, the seven-week training course in the U.S. Army’s elite sniper school at Fort Benning has been completed by a woman.
The school is meant to turn out “the most feared weapon on the battlefield.”
The announcement was made by the Montana National Guard, where the soldier is enlisted, but did not identify her by name.
“We are extremely proud of this Soldier's achievement and recognize that this is a milestone for not only Montana, but the entire National Guard and Army,” said Maj. Gen. J. Peter Hronek, the adjutant general for Montana, in a statement.
She was singled out for the elite education, which includes mission planning and advanced battlefield awareness alongside precision shooting among its courses, after graduating from Fort Benning’s 22-week basic training course with marks that signified “expert shooter” status, according to the Montana National Guard.
“She arrived prepared for training and physically conditioned to succeed. We are proud of the results of her efforts and the quality training provided by the Sniper Course Cadre,” said Capt. David Wright, a battalion commander at the sniper school.
Having completed the prestigious training, the graduate will now head back to Montana to join her unit.
According to Defense Department numbers, about 17% of all active-duty military are women. In the Army, that amounts to about 70,000 women, numbers that are comparable to the Navy and Air Force. The Marine Corps, meanwhile, has about 16,000 women in its ranks.
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