Army Maj. Lisa Jaster became the third woman to complete the rigorous Army Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia since the January 2013 decision to open the combat training to women.
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Jaster, an engineer for Shell Oil Co., is an Army Reserve Individual Mobilization Augmentee with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Huntsville, Alabama.
“My husband goes on weight vest runs with me”, she remarked in an interview posted to Facebook.
The progress of Jaster and the other women has been closely monitored by the military community, where the idea of female forces in combat remains divisive. What’s perhaps more impressive, however, is that Jaster accomplished this at 37 years old, an age that has placed a world of experiences and time between her graduation from West Point in 2007. The Army has not publicly identified her. “I volunteered because I want to make sure the standards do remain high and that the women coming out at the far end of Ranger School will be respected for their accomplishments rather than being judged for making things easier.”. In addition to Ranger School, she is a graduate of the Army’s Airborne and Air Assault schools.
It could be due to a mixture of physical strength and mental preparedness, says fitness expert and certified trainer John Rowley, director of wellness for the worldwide Sports Sciences Association and author of The Power of Positive Fitness. Male and female Ranger students have proven their determination, physical stamina, and mental toughness to succeed, and have earned the right to wear the Ranger Tab. Jaster’s manager, Hans Hofland, congratulated her in a statement released on Monday by company officials. “Her ability to do well under pressure is exemplified in this achievement and it comes as no surprise to us that she was successful”. “My kids are actively involved in my training, either as added weight for rucks or chin-ups or bike rides. We are a family that ‘plays together'”.
It is not unprecedented for students to go through the famously grueling course several times, officials said when Army Times asked about the ongoing social-media debate about upholding the school’s standards.
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Ranger School is 61 days long if students pass each of three phases on the first try, but it is common for a service member to be held back or “recycle”, if they show promise but fall short in a specific aspect of training. Jaster, like so many other men and women attempting the Army’s toughest course, had to recycle phases during the process. Jaster also recycled in the second and third phases.
