The first female soldier received a Green Beret on Thursday, after graduating the Special Forces Qualifications Course, according to U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
Army Lt. Gen. Fran Beaudette, commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, presided over the graduation ceremony stating, “Each and every one of you demonstrated the ability to meet the baseline standards and competencies for admission to our Regiment.” He added:
From here, you will go forward and join the storied formation of the Green Berets where you will do what you are trained to do: challenge assumptions, break down barriers, smash through stereotypes, innovate, and achieve the impossible. Thankfully, after today, our Green Beret Men and Women will forever stand in the hearts of free people everywhere.
The Army is not releasing her name, since she is expected to deploy in the future. She is a National Guard enlisted soldier, who will serve as a Special Forces engineer sergeant, or 18C.
She is not the first woman to complete the Q-course, however. Army Capt. (Ret.) Kate Wilder was the first to complete the course in 1980, but was not given a Green Beret.
Breitbart News first reported that she received her Special Forces tab in a private ceremony for expected graduates on Tuesday.
While there is mixed opinion within the Special Forces community about a woman joining the elite force, those who trained with her say she carried her weight and was easy to get along with.
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