Latest news with #ArmyCommendationMedals
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
25-Year-Old West Point Grad Becomes First Woman to Complete Army's 3-Day Best Ranger Competition
The U.S. Army's Best Ranger Competition has its first female finisher. First Lt. Gabrielle A. White and her teammate, Capt. Seth Deltenre, completed the annual three-day competition at Camp Roger in Fort Benning, Georgia, on April 13. White, a 25-year-old West Point graduate, became the first woman to compete and finish the intensive challenge. White and Deltenre placed 14th out of the 52 two-person teams in the competition, which involves more than 30 events such as combat water survival, bayonet obstacle course, ballistic breaching, helocast, rope bridge, military knots and other physically and mentally taxing skills. Related: Army First Sergeant Needs Help to 'Rescue' Pup He Befriended Overseas: 'It's So Dangerous Here for a Dog Like Her' Army spokesman Christopher Surridge told PEOPLE that White is an 11A (infantry officer) 'assigned to the Maneuver Captains Career Course, B Company, 3rd Battalion, 81st Armored Regiment, 199th Infantry Brigade.' White graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in May 2021 and completed Ranger School in April 2022. White's past accolades, per Surridge, include 'two Army Commendation Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Ranger Tab and Air Assault Badge.' is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! Related: Woman Breaks Record for World's Biggest Female Mouth Gape — Watch Her Fit Everyday Objects in Her 'Very Tall' Mouth The Best Ranger Competition's website describes the challenge, launched in 1982, as a 'grueling competition, starring the best soldiers of the world.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Soldiers Kevin Moore and Griffin Hokanson won the 2025 competition. Ten years ago, the Army started allowing women to enter U.S. Army Ranger School in 2015 — with Kristen Marie Griest and Shaye Lynne Haver becoming the first two women to graduate that year. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
West Point graduate becomes first woman to complete Army Ranger competition
For the first time in Army history, a female service member completed the grueling Best Ranger Competition. First Lt. Gabrielle White, a 25-year-old West Point graduate, became the first female ranger ever to compete in the annual three-day, 30-event marathon that unfolded April 11 to 13 at Fort Benning in Georgia. The events included helicopter missions, land navigation, weapon qualification and various physical tests. White was the only woman on any of the 52 two-person teams that competed, with her team making it to the final events — even as other teams dropped out — and placing 14th. Overall, the competition included 103 men, and just one woman. White was seen climbing ropes, slogging through mud, completing pull ups and swimming across water in the notoriously tasking challenges. The marathon tests both physical and cognitive strength of competitors, with just about four hours to rest a day. By the final day, only 16 of the original 52 teams were still in the competition, and White and her partner, Captain Seth Deltenre, were among them. White's presence proves female challengers can compete in one of the military's highest profile events for soldiers. She is both the first woman and the first African American woman to compete. It's a major milestone for the Army, especially at a time when the role of women in combat has come under scrutiny during the Trump administration. White was already a trailblazer in her own right by becoming a ranger, graduating from Ranger school in 2022. Ranger school only opened to female soldiers in 2015. That same year, the military lifted its ban on women in combat roles under the Obama administration. Before his confirmation, Trump's Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, spoke out against women in combat. 'I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn't made us more effective, hasn't made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated,' he said on the Shawn Ryan Show on November 7. The Army tweeted about the competition but did not acknowledge White's historic participation. NBC News has asked Army leaders if they intend to recognize White. An Army spokesperson responded with basic details of White's biography, but no mention of whether she'll be distinguished for her accomplishment. White is an infantry officer in the Army, currently assigned to the Maneuver Captains Career Course, B Company, 3rd Battalion, 81st Armored Regiment, 199th Infantry Brigade, according to the Army. She's been awarded two Army Commendation Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Ranger Tab, and Air Assault article was originally published on
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
US Army tank crew notches first win at international competition
A U.S. Army tank crew notched a historic win during an armored vehicle contest where teams met from around the world to battle head to head, the Defense Department said. Four men from the 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade, 1st Armored Division, led the U.S. to victory at the U.S. Army Europe and Africa International Tank Challenge in Grafenwoehr, Germany, this month, according to a Tuesday release. The crew's win marks the first time the U.S. has taken home the top prize at the competition, which first ran from 2016 to 2018 before being paused due to other competitions and the COVID-19 pandemic, the department said. The challenge included 10 events during which the crews were given marks for their physical and mental fitness, as well as their marksmanship. Two U.S. teams competed, along with tank crews from Italy, Denmark, Slovenia, and Switzerland. Polish general fired after anti-tank mines found in Ikea warehouse 'It still hasn't fully set in for me, yet, that we managed to win this competition in the manner that it happened,' Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Greene, the team's commander, said in the release. 'The other crews that were behind and chasing … are really talented crews, and the fact that we're the first American team to [win] on this stage is incredible.' Though the U.S. wasn't always in the lead during the competition, having stumbled at the outset, they battled hard and came out on top. The team went from fifth to first place in the last hours of the competition, according to the release. 'At 56 hours out, they were middle of the pack, and they could have just glided it out, but that wasn't their mentality,' said battalion commander Lt. Col. Robert Humphrey. 'They [were] going to finish it, and they [were] going to finish it strong.' Greene attributed the early struggles to the fact that the team had little time to prepare for the challenge physically after just returning from three weeks of field exercises. The 1st Battalion tank crew — which aside from Greene, includes gunner Sgt. Graham Parker, loader Spc. Donovan Lavery and driver Pfc. Nicolae Lawson — received Army Commendation Medals and initiation into the U.S. Cavalry and Armor Association's Honorable Order of St. George for armored excellence as a result of their achievement.
Fox News
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Pete Hegseth
Pete Hegseth is the U.S. Defense Secretary under President Donald Trump. He was sworn in to serve the Trump administration's second term by Vice President JD Vance on Jan. 25, 2025. Hegseth is a Minnesota native and graduated from Princeton University in 2003. He earned his master's degree from Harvard University ten years later. Hegseth spent several years in the U.S. Army National Guard where he was part of several active-duty deployments in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Hegseth's service in the National Guard earned him many accolades including two Bronze Star Medals, two Army Commendation Medals, the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB), the Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB) and the Joint Commendation Medal. The former Fox News host has authored several books over the years, including 'The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,' which was released in 2024.
