Army about leaders, not gender

The contrast in the two scenes was surreal.

On Aug. 23, 2015, the national media filled a large meeting room at Fort Benning as Capt. Kristen Griest and then 1st Lt. Shaye Haver answered questions the day before their historic graduation from U.S. Army Ranger School.

Though four male soldiers flanked them on the panel, the focus was on the two women front and center. They were changing the Army and the nation wanted to meet them. They had passed the toughest combat leadership course the Army offers and it was national, even international, news.

On Wednesday, 10 women accomplished another historic military first. They became the first women to graduate from the Infantry Basic Officer Leadership Course. Like the 156 men who graduated alongside them, they are likely headed to Ranger School, then several other courses at Fort Benning before moving on with their Army careers as infantry officers.

There was no national media. Five members of the Maneuver Center of Excellence Leadership team, led by Maj. Gen. Eric J. Wesley and Brig. Gen. Pete Jones, fielded questions from two reporters, myself and one from WTVM.

That was it.

The graduation was not even open to the media.

The one concession Fort Benning officials made was to put six IBOLC graduates, three men and three women, in a room for 30 minutes of questioning. The ground rules were clear: the young officers could not be named, and they wore no identifying marks on their clothing, which was standard issue physical training gear.

The message was clear: the Army has moved on from the media circus that was Ranger School in 2015. And another message: so has the media. None of the national media invited elected to attend.

So, now it is business as usual. It is the new norm.

And you could see the relief in the faces of the six soldiers answering the questions. While Griest and Haver spoke with confidence 14 months ago, they didn’t want the spotlight that came with breaking a gender barrier that many thought would never fall.

But they were good soldiers and they went out and answered the questions.

The internet trolls won’t know the names of the 10 women who graduated from Infantry Basic Officer Leadership School on Wednesday. But the unusual roundtable gave a glimpse into what they think.

“Every female came in knowing the standards would not change,” one of the women said. “And we were ready to speak up if they did.”

As someone who has reported for more than a year and a half on the gender integration of the Army, that tracks with what I have heard from every woman involved in breaking these barriers.

As I looked at those six soldiers, I didn’t really see men and women. I saw fresh-faced young soldiers who had raised their hands and volunteered for service. I saw potential leaders, whether it is in the Army down the road or in society in general.

After watching this process, it finally struck me sitting in that room with those men and women that it is not about gender.

It’s about leaders.

This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Army about leaders, not gender."