A Montana Army National Guard soldier became the first woman in history to graduate from the U.S. Army Sniper Course at Fort Benning, Georgia.
“We are extremely proud of this soldier’s achievement and recognize that this is a milestone for not only Montana, but the entire National Guard and Army,” said Maj. Gen. J. Peter Hronek, the Adjutant General for Montana. “This soldier had to volunteer several times to reach this goal, which is a demonstration of her dedication and commitment to service.”
The soldier, whose name has not been made public, was sent to Fort Benning to complete a 22-week course that combines Army basic training with advanced individual training in infantry skills, officials said.
During her time at Fort Benning, her training staff and chain of command recommended that she take the sniper course due to her “superior performance.”
She began the course in September and completed it in November.
"The soldier met every standard required to graduate the United States Army Sniper Course,” said Capt. David Wright, Battalion Commander, U.S. Army Sniper School. “She arrived prepared for training and physically conditioned to succeed. We are proud of the results of her efforts and the quality training provided by the Sniper Course Cadre. We wish her luck as she heads back to her unit as a U.S. Army Sniper Course qualified Sniper."