Chip Chick
Columbus, Georgia. When you think of a military sniper, women don’t come to mind. Between movies and news media, snipers are historically sensationalized as male superheroes, setting a standard for females being less qualified, viewed as a weaker gender.
That male typecast is history now, after an unnamed soldier recently became the first woman ever to complete the U.S. Army Sniper Course.
Enlisting in the Montana Army National Guard last December, the soldier was sent to the Infantry One Station Unit Training (OSUT) at Fort Benning in Georgia.
She completed the 22-week course consisting of advanced individual infantry skills training and Army basic training, where she excelled and demonstrated exceptional performance.
Qualifying as an expert shooter while attending OSUT, the training staff and her superiors selected her to participate in the sniper course.
“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, in a statement.
The soldier left quite the impression. Beginning her training in September, she completed the intensive seven-week sniper course on November 5.
Becoming a U.S. Army Sniper Course-qualified sniper requires skills necessary to collect battlefield information and deliver long-range precision fire.
The U.S. Army Sniper Course is demanding and requires superior marksmanship, exceptional mental preparedness, and considerable physical conditioning.
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