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A female soldier with the Montana Army National Guard has become the first woman to successfully complete the U.S. Army Sniper Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. The unidentified soldier enlisted in December 2020 and was sent to Fort Benning to complete her 22-week Infantry One Station Unit Training.
Her impressive performance caught the eyes of her superior officers, and they recommend that she participate in the Army's grueling seven-week sniper course. The course not only tests a soldier's marksmanship skill with various rifles, but it also teaches them "fieldcraft skills, advanced camouflage techniques, concealed movement, target detection, range estimation, and terrain utilization."
The course has a high rate of attrition, with many soldiers failing to meet all the requirements to graduate.
"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 Montana National Guard praised the soldier and said her accomplishment was a "historic moment."
"We see this as a historic moment. This is a huge achievement not only for her, for our organization, but for all women in the National Guard and the Army," Montana National Guard spokesperson Maj. Ryan Finnegan told USA Today. "We're very proud of her and proud of her achievement."