The Latest: Military cop long had goal to pass Ranger School

August 19, 2015 at 3:58 p.m. | Updated August 19, 2015 at 4:00 p.m.

by Associated Press

In this photo taken on April 26, 2015, one of the 20 female soldiers, who is among the 400 students who qualified to start Ranger School, tackles the Darby Queen obstacle course, one of the toughest obstacle courses in U.S. Army training, at Fort Benning, in Ga. Two women have now passed the U.S. Army's grueling Ranger test, and even tougher and more dangerous jobs could lie ahead. The military services are poised to allow women to serve in most front-line combat jobs, including special operations forces, senior officials told The Associated Press. (Robin Trimarchi/Ledger-Enquirer via AP)
In this photo taken on April 26, 2015, one of the 20 female soldiers, who is among the 400 students who qualified to start Ranger School, tackles the Darby Queen obstacle course, one of the toughest obstacle courses in U.S. Army training, at Fort Benning, in Ga. Two women have now passed the U.S. Army's grueling Ranger test, and even tougher and more dangerous jobs could lie ahead. The military services are poised to allow women to serve in most front-line combat jobs, including special operations forces, senior officials told The Associated Press. (Robin Trimarchi/Ledger-Enquirer via AP)

FORT BENNING, Ga. (AP) - The latest on the first female Army soldiers to complete the military's elite Ranger School (all times local):

3:45 p.m.

The brother of a military police officer who's one of the first women to complete the Army's elite Ranger School says his sister had wanted to tackle the grueling course "for a long, long time."

Capt. Kristen Griest is one of two female soldiers scheduled to graduate Friday at Fort Benning, Georgia, after finishing the two-month combat leadership course.

Her older brother, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Mike Griest, also serves in the Army as an aviator. He said Wednesday his 26-year-old sister loves camping and testing her endurance. He says she chose to become a military police officer because it seemed like the closest thing she could get to a combat job.

He said: "If she had been allowed to go infantry out of college, she would have done that."

___

1:15 p.m.

A 26-year-old military police officer from Connecticut is among the first women to complete the Army's elite Ranger School.

A defense official confirmed Wednesday to The Associated Press that Capt. Kristen Griest, who has served in Afghanistan and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, is scheduled to graduate Friday from Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia. The official was not authorized to disclose the name publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Griest of Orange, Connecticut, will graduate alongside 25-year-old 1st Lt. Shaye Haver of Copperas Cove, Texas. Haver's father confirmed that his daughter, an Apache helicopter pilot and West Point graduate, also finished the Ranger course.

The Griest and Haver families issued a joint statement Wednesday saying the women "are just like all the soldiers in Class 8-15 - happy, relieved, and ready for some good food and sleep."

___

Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

___

10:55 a.m.

One of the first women to complete the Army's grueling Ranger School is a 25-year-old officer who flies Apache helicopters.

The father of 1st Lt. Shaye Haver of Copperas Cove, Texas, confirmed Wednesday that she is one of two female soldiers scheduled to graduate Friday from Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia. The two-month course tests soldiers' ability to overcome fatigue, hunger and stress during combat operations.

Chris Haver called his daughter's accomplishment "just amazing" and said, "I'm super proud."

The Army hasn't released the women's names.

The Army allowed them to enroll in the Ranger course as part of a push to open more combat jobs to women. Completing the course allows them to wear the Ranger tab, but it doesn't let them become members of the Ranger regiment.

Upcoming Events