BREAKING NEWS

First two women soldiers pass elite US Army Ranger course

Two women have made military history after becoming the first female soldiers to pass the US Army's grueling Ranger Course, the Army said on Monday.

The two, along with 94 men, passed the 62-day leadership course, which teaches students "how to overcome fatigue, hunger, and stress to lead Soldiers during small unit combat operations," it said in a statement.

In April, 19 women and 381 men began the first Army Ranger school that included women. The course, based at Fort Benning, Georgia, includes training in woodlands, mountainous terrain and Florida swampland. (https://www.benning.army.mil)

Army Rangers are rapidly deployable troops trained for mountain, desert and swamp terrain and often go after special operations targets.

"Highlights of the course include a physical fitness test consisting of 49 push-ups, 59 sit-ups, a five mile run in 40 minutes, and six chin-ups; a swim test; a land navigation test; a 12-mile foot march in three hours; several obstacle courses; four days of military mountaineering; three parachute jumps; four air assaults on helicopters; multiple rubber boat movements; and 27 days of mock combat patrols," the statement said.

A graduation ceremony will be held at Fort Benning on Friday.