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OVERCOMING CYNICISM AND GIVING A FAIR SHOT AT SUCCESS AND FAILURE Since the August 21st graduation of two women from the Army’s Ranger School there has been an out pouring of commentary on the notoriety of the moment. Writing this article through the lens of a graduate of the Ranger Course (Class 10-87), I want to join those who are congratulating Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver on their achievements. What is particularly notable, is the lengths the Army and the Airborne Ranger Training Brigade (ARTB) went through to ensure the women were treated fairly and that the...

Two members of the Pipes and Drums of the Black Devils, dressed in kilts, walked slowly on the lawn at Fort Harrison and played the bagpipes they would be using in a ceremony. Their music greeted those who arrived to see members of the First Special Service Force present Fort Harrison, where they prepared for combat 73 years ago, with a replica of the Congressional Gold Medal their unit earned. Their unit was unique. It was made up of American and Canadian soldiers. The First Special Service Force gave birth to subsequent special operations forces in the two countries.

In 2002, the Devil’s Brigade marched on Helena and posted colors at Memorial Park. Surviving members of the World War II fighting force shared stories of landing in Italy, liberating Rome and defeating well-placed German artillery guns. Now, 11 years after their last big ceremony, the nation’s first special operations force may get its day in glory, as a bill to award the Devil’s Brigade the Congressional Gold Medal inches forward in Washington, D.C.

The following was written by Rudy Mac, a Ranger-qualified, company-grade infantry officer serving on active duty in a light unit in the U.S. Army. By the time most of you read this story, 96 newly tabbed Rangers and their friends and families will be celebrating the completion of one of the most arduous and demanding courses that the Army has to offer. For them, this coming weekend will undoubtedly involve hours of some of the most satisfying sleep of their lives, interspersed with exorbitant feasts of all of the foods that they have been dreaming about, talking about, and listing...

For the first time ever, two women have successfully completed the Army's elite Ranger school, one of the toughest combat training courses in the world, the Army said Monday. The female soldiers weren't identified beyond being described as West Point-trained officers. They were among 96 soldiers who will graduate Friday at Fort Benning, Georgia, with the coveted Ranger tab, the Army said. (snip) Unlike the 94 men who will graduate Friday, the two women won't be allowed to apply to join the join the 75th Ranger Regiment, the elite Special Operations force. It remains closed to women.

Forty students and four Ranger instructors in the swamp phase of Ranger School were struck by lightning Wednesday afternoon. All 44 were evacuated to a local hospital, but many were discharged, according to a press release from Fort Benning, Georgia, home of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade. Eleven soldiers remained hospitalized Thursday evening, according to a news report. “At the time of the incident, they were conducting lightning-protection protocols when lightning struck nearby,” the release states.

The heavily scrutinized assessment of women attending Army Ranger School could be nearing its end soon, and it comes with a dichotomy: senior service officials are laudatory of their efforts, while some of the women who washed out question whether they got a fair shake.

<p>"Eight of the 20 women who originally entered the school’s first co-ed class were allowed to recycle through the program after they fell out in their first go-round.”"</p>

The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New York Rangers 2-0 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final on Friday to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time. The Lightning, who won the best-of-7 series 4-3, either will host the Chicago Blackhawks, who have won the Stanley Cup twice in the past five seasons, or visit the Anaheim Ducks, who won it in 2007, in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBC). Tampa Bay defeated the Calgary Flames in seven games to win the 2004 Stanley Cup.

None from first-ever group of female soldiers training to be Army Rangers advance through first round: officials BY Rachelle Blidner NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Saturday, May 9, 2015, 5:24 PM The first-ever female soldiers allowed to train to be Army Rangers did not make it through the first round of the course, officials said Friday. Eight women and 101 men who made it through the first tests of the 20-day Crawl Phase will have to try again to pass the last few at one of the toughest soldier training schools, officials said.

A new book about a young, female Army officer who routinely accompanied Ranger units on raids in Afghanistan is shining a light on a select group of American women who have made history in modern warfare. "Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield" focuses on 1st Lt. Ashley White, an incredibly physically fit soldier who joined the Special Operations Command Cultural Support Team effort in 2010. The pilot program was designed to train women and have them serve with Army Ranger and other special operations direct-action units so they could gather...

A group of women soldiers made history this week after earning a place in the first gender-integrated Ranger Course Assessment at Fort Benning in Georgia. The U.S. Army Ranger School at Fort Benning opened Monday to a class of 19 women and 380 men, according to Stars and Stripes. Over the last four months, 20 women had secured a spot in the course assessment after passing one of four sessions of gender-integrated Ranger Training Assessment Courses (RTAC). One female soldier chose to withdraw. Only eight women and 184 men successfully completed the first four days of Ranger School, after a...

Two lawsuits have been filed seeking information about the U.S. military’s plan to use women to “close with and kill” the enemy, based on reports that suggest having women in “tip of the spear” fighting units such as the Rangers and the Navy SEALs may be counterproductive. The Obama administration announced two years ago it would make female military personnel eligible for assignment to direct ground combat units, including the infantry, beginning in January 2016. Under the military’s structure, women would be ordered into such positions. Various military agencies and units since then have been analyzing the safety and effectiveness...

There are far too many of these stories each year and they really cause me to grind my teeth. People going around claiming the status of heroes, wearing the uniforms and badges of honor granted only to those who served our nation with distinction, while having either never served or not having been awarded those honors are among the lowest types of cretins. Sadly, if we tried to cover them all here, Hot Air would have no space for any other subjects. But this one was so jarring and seems to be heading for such a satisfying result that it...

These Arizona Rangers were gathered together in 1903.  The rifles that I can identify are all 1895 Winchesters.   In 1903 the total ranger force was 26 men.   I count 25 in this picture.   The Ranger Act of 1901 required that every ranger carry an 1895 Winchester and a Colt Single Action Army in .45 Colt.  One Ranger, Private Lonnie McDonald,  had been wounded in February of 1903, and he may not have yet recovered.  I see a few possible gunbelts, but the angle is precisely wrong to see any holstered Colts.   Picture from historynet.com. ©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission...

Sheriff Mack: federal snipers at Bundy ranch are mercenaries, hit men Posted on April 18, 2014 by Dr. Eowyn BLM-snipers-outside-of-Bundy-Ranch In an interview with TPN’s Dylan Scott Wednesday, April 16, 2014, Richard Mack, former Arizona county sheriff and founder of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA), said: “One of our CSPOA members who was there earlier and got there before I did was phoning me and telling me that they were going to be killed. The federal snipers, several of them — I don’t know if you know this — but they were paid mercenaries. They’re contractors. They’re...

They’re almost like a hired gun’. Armed Rangers were brought in from out of state by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to assist in security surrounding the Bundy Ranch, according to the family. A heated confrontation on Wednesday resulted in Cliven Bundy’s son Ammon being tasered by BLM officials and a 57-year-old protester being shoved to the ground. Stetsy Bundy Cox, Cliven’s daughter, told the Washington Free Beacon that some of the rangers had Oregon and California license plates. “You know, some of these guys don’t even know why they’re here,” she said. “A few people have talked to...

“I’d serve today,” said the man, Joseph Scott. “One phone call and I’d be gone.” It sounds as if the man meant no disrespect. However, more responsible voices, including the recruiter who told Scott where to buy the uniform gear, should have informed him about wearing the uniform in public. And while one can certainly sympathize with Scott, it in no way suggests any wrongdoing on the part of the soldiers who called him out in the now-viral video of the confrontation. That uniform must be earned. Not everyone can make it. And as sad as it may make some...

The man behind the footage of calling a fraud soldier out for wearing Ranger, E.O.D., and 101st Airborne Tab was arrested immediately after the video by the campus authorities. The reason? He was charged with disturbing the peace and making threats against a phony soldier who was pretending to serve and die for our country. The police reported that Vieira, the man confronting the fake soldier, approached him on several occasions and verbally assaulted the fraud! Well there’s a pretty valid reason behind the so-called unnecessary assault. Vieira, who uploaded video of the confrontation to YouTube, was later arrested by...

It was Darby Day in Fort Smith, Ark., one Friday this snowy month, and the students at Darby Junior High held their annual observance in honor of the school's namesake. Just who was Bill Darby of Fort Smith, Ark.? He was a brigadier general, a West Pointer, and a legend. He wasn't just a U.S. Army Ranger, he was the Rangers' first commander and founder. He began not just a special force but a special tradition. The Brits had their commandos, and now we had our Rangers. They had their Orde Wingate and his Chindits, we had our Bill...