Latest news with #BestRangerCompetition
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Yahoo
Spouse of active-duty Coast Guard service member detained by immigration agents on base
Federal immigration agents arrested the spouse of an active-duty Coast Guardsman on Thursday on-base at Naval Air Station Key West. The Coast Guardsman and spouse were at the government housing area on the base on April 24 when agents of Homeland Security Investigations, a part of Immigration and Custom Enforcement or ICE. The family was in the process of moving onto the base in Florida. Reports of the arrest were posted to social media, including military subreddits on Reddit. The Coast Guard confirmed to Task & Purpose that the spouse of an active-duty member of the Coast Guard was taken into custody. 'The Coast Guard is aware of a law enforcement action by federal authorities involving the spouse of a Coast Guard service member,' a Coast Guard spokesman told Task & Purpose on Saturday. 'The spouse is not a member of the Coast Guard and was detained by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) pursuant to a lawful removal order. The Coast Guard works closely with HSI and others to enforce federal laws, including on immigration.' The Associated Press, citing an unnamed official familiar with the incident, reported additional details. The couple was moving into on-base housing at the naval base and the wife's name was flagged while undergoing a screening to get a pass to go onto the base. Per the official, the woman's work visa expired in 2017 and was later marked for removal from the country. She and the Coast Guardsman got married earlier this year. The Associated Press reports that base security as well as Naval Criminal Investigative Service were contacted after the woman's information was flagged. They went to the couple's home on base, along with HSI agents, who detained her. The Coast Guard is a part of the Department of Homeland Security. The Coast Guard member serves aboard the cutter the USCGC Mohawk, which is based out of Key West, in Coast Guard District 7. The cutter had been at port since mid-March. Task & Purpose reached out to ICE and the specific Coast Guard district for more information but as of press time has not heard back. It is not clear what will happen to the wife next or if she is still currently being detained by immigration agents. Top enlisted leader of Air Force Special Operations Command fired amid investigation The Marine in one of the most famous recruiting commercials is now in Congress 75th Ranger Regiment wins 2025 Best Ranger Competition Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer reenlists in Marine Reserve Air Force pilots get a new way to pee at 30,000 feet
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Navy identifies sailor who went missing in Guam
The U.S. Navy officially named the sailor who went missing in Guam, a week after his last known appearance. The Navy and U.S. Coast Guard called off the search for Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Gabriel D. Holt on Thursday, having scoured more than 11,000 square nautical miles in the ocean over five days. Holt, who served aboard the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, has been listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown. Holt was last seen onshore in Guam at 11:57 p.m. on April 18, when the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group arrived in port, and was listed as unaccounted for the following day. The Navy, along with local authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard, began a multi-day search for him. 'Our deepest sympathies are with the family, friends, and shipmates of Petty Officer Holt,' Capt. Doug Graber, the USS Nimitz's commander, said in a Navy statement. 'After carefully considering all pertinent factors and available information, we made the extremely difficult decision to suspend the search. This has been an extraordinarily challenging case, and the decision to suspend active efforts was not made lightly. We are sincerely grateful for the support and coordination from all units and partners who assisted in searching.' Holt was officially named by the Navy a day after the search was called off and his next of kin was notified. The USS Nimitz was at Naval Base Guam for a port visit as part of its deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. The carrier strike group left port on April 21 while continuing the search. U.S. Navy and Coast Guard assets, including crews from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25, a P-8 maritime patrol plane and the cutter USCGC Oliver Henry, scoured both the coastal area and deeper waters around Guam for any sign of Holt. The Nimitz is currently on what is expected to be its final deployment before decommissioning. Top enlisted leader of Air Force Special Operations Command fired amid investigation The Marine in one of the most famous recruiting commercials is now in Congress 75th Ranger Regiment wins 2025 Best Ranger Competition Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer reenlists in Marine Reserve Air Force pilots get a new way to pee at 30,000 feet
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
1st Lt. Gabrielle White is the first woman to finish the Best Ranger Competition. See what she endured in the grueling 3-day event.
1st Lt. Gabrielle White is the first woman soldier ever to finish the Army's Best Ranger Competition. The competition tests soldiers' strength, skill, and endurance over nearly 3 days. "She had the skill and the physical ability to get it done," a former Ranger said. The US Army's Best Ranger Competition has served as a crucible for soldiers to prove their strength, skill, and endurance in a gauntlet of challenges simulating real-world operations. For the first time in the competition's 41-year history, a female Army Ranger was among the handful of competitors who crossed the finish line in one of the US military's toughest contests. US Army 1st Lt. Gabrielle White, a West Point graduate, and her teammate endured nearly three days of rucking, rope-climbing and orienteering that eliminated most of their competitors. First woman to compete for Best Ranger title In mid-April, US Army 1st Lt. Gabrielle White and her teammate, Capt. Seth Deltenre, competed against more than 50 two-member teams to earn the Best Ranger title. White graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2021. Upon completing Ranger School in April 2022, she earned her Ranger tab, an embroidered patch symbolizing the elite qualification. The 25-year-old infantry officer was assigned to an Army leadership development program at the Maneuver Centre of Excellence, the Army's training hub for ground combat forces, at Fort Benning in Georgia, where the Best Ranger events are held. Arduous competition The Best Ranger Competition was created "not just to see who is the toughest or the most physically fit," but also to "see who is mentally the strongest, the most determined to finish," according to Lt. Gen. David E. Grange Jr., a commanding general of Fort Benning and namesake of the event. For nearly 62 continuous hours, Ranger-qualified soldiers work in teams of two to demonstrate tactical skills, complete difficult obstacle courses, and traverse dozens of miles on both land and water. The competition events mirror real-world Ranger missions, from helocasting and fast-roping to positioning mortars and cutting through steel-reinforced frames. Finished in the top 20 Jeffrey Mellinger, a former sergeant major who served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, described the difficulty of the Best Ranger as the Ironman triathlon, the CrossFit Games, and several marathons — stacked back-to-back. "There is not another competition anywhere in the world that comes close to the mental and physical exertion of this competition," he told The New York Times. The Best Ranger Competition is so difficult that only a handful of competitors actually make it to the finish line. White and Deltenre secured a 14th-place finish after 36 other duos were eliminated over the course of the competition. Women Rangers In 2015, the Army allowed women to participate in its 62-day Ranger School course. Nearly two dozen female candidates attempted to complete the course, and in August 2015, then-Capt. Kristen Griest and then-1st Lt. Shaye Haver became the first women to graduate from one of the service's most elite programs. Four months later, the Pentagon opened all military positions to women, including over 200,000 direct combat roles that were previously barred to them. Women make up about 16% of the Army's active-duty troops, according to the Pentagon's 2023 demographics report. As of January 2025, 154 women have graduated from Ranger School. Reassessing military standards White's groundbreaking finish in the Best Ranger Competition comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth orders a broader review of the requirements for combat roles. In late March, Hegseth ordered a 60-day review of the military's physical fitness standards to distinguish combat roles from non-combat and implement higher requirements as needed. "We need to have the same standard, male or female, in our combat roles," Hegseth, a former National Guard infantryman and Fox News host, said in a video posted to X. "Soon, we'll have nothing but the highest and equal standards for men and women in combat." Hegseth had said during a podcast in November that he didn't believe women should be in combat roles at all, arguing that it "hasn't made us more effective, hasn't made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated." However, ahead of his confirmation hearing, Hegseth appeared to soften his staunch opposition. "If we have the right standard and women meet that standard, roger. Let's go," he said during a December interview on the "Megyn Kelly Show." 'Like every other soldier' The Army is shifting to a new Army Fitness Test with gender-neutral scoring for troops in combat specialties. Military occupations, like special operations and infantry, subject all candidates to higher physical, mental, and psychological standards, regardless of sex or age. To become an Army Ranger specifically, the rigorous entry standards are identical, including the eligibility requirements and physical assessment. Mellinger, who served on an advisory board that oversaw the opening of Ranger School to women, said no standards have been lowered to accommodate the integration. He said White still has to earn her Ranger tab "every day, like every other ranger, like every other soldier." 'A bun on the back of a head' Kris Fuhr, a former Army captain who advocated for integrating women into Ranger School, described White competing for the Best Ranger title as "a three-day public display of what we've been saying for 10 years." "This administration sometimes makes decisions based on misinformation and myths," she told The Times. "Military policy should not be based on either of those." Mellinger, who attended this year's Best Ranger event, said, aside from "a bun on the back of a head," White was indistinguishable from the other male competitors until another spectator pointed her out. "She had the skill and the physical ability to get it done," he said. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
26-04-2025
- General
- Business Insider
1st Lt. Gabrielle White is the first woman to finish the Best Ranger Competition. See what she endured in the grueling 3-day event.
First woman to compete for Best Ranger title In mid-April, US Army 1st Lt. Gabrielle White and her teammate, Capt. Seth Deltenre, competed against more than 50 two-member teams to earn the Best Ranger title. White graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2021. Upon completing Ranger School in April 2022, she earned her Ranger tab, an embroidered patch symbolizing the elite qualification. The 25-year-old infantry officer was assigned to an Army leadership development program at the Maneuver Centre of Excellence, the Army's training hub for ground combat forces, at Fort Benning in Georgia, where the Best Ranger events are held. Arduous competition The Best Ranger Competition was created "not just to see who is the toughest or the most physically fit," but also to "see who is mentally the strongest, the most determined to finish," according to Lt. Gen. David E. Grange Jr., a commanding general of Fort Benning and namesake of the event. For nearly 62 continuous hours, Ranger-qualified soldiers work in teams of two to demonstrate tactical skills, complete difficult obstacle courses, and traverse dozens of miles on both land and water. The competition events mirror real-world Ranger missions, from helocasting and fast-roping to positioning mortars and cutting through steel-reinforced frames. Finished in the top 20 Jeffrey Mellinger, a former sergeant major who served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, described the difficulty of the Best Ranger as the Ironman triathlon, the CrossFit Games, and several marathons — stacked back-to-back. "There is not another competition anywhere in the world that comes close to the mental and physical exertion of this competition," he told The New York Times. The Best Ranger Competition is so difficult that only a handful of competitors actually make it to the finish line. White and Deltenre secured a 14th-place finish after 36 other duos were eliminated over the course of the competition. Women Rangers In 2015, the Army allowed women to participate in its 62-day Ranger School course. Nearly two dozen female candidates attempted to complete the course, and in August 2015, then-Capt. Kristen Griest and then-1st Lt. Shaye Haver became the first women to graduate from one of the service's most elite programs. Four months later, the Pentagon opened all military positions to women, including over 200,000 direct combat roles that were previously barred to them. Women make up about 16% of the Army's active-duty troops, according to the Pentagon's 2023 demographics report. As of January 2025, 154 women have graduated from Ranger School. Reassessing military standards White's groundbreaking finish in the Best Ranger Competition comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth orders a broader review of the requirements for combat roles. In late March, Hegseth ordered a 60-day review of the military's physical fitness standards to distinguish combat roles from non-combat and implement higher requirements as needed. "We need to have the same standard, male or female, in our combat roles," Hegseth, a former National Guard infantryman and Fox News host, said in a video posted to X. "Soon, we'll have nothing but the highest and equal standards for men and women in combat." Hegseth had said during a podcast in November that he didn't believe women should be in combat roles at all, arguing that it "hasn't made us more effective, hasn't made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated." However, ahead of his confirmation hearing, Hegseth appeared to soften his staunch opposition. "If we have the right standard and women meet that standard, roger. Let's go," he said during a December interview on the "Megyn Kelly Show." 'Like every other soldier' The Army is shifting to a new Army Fitness Test with gender-neutral scoring for troops in combat specialties. Military occupations, like special operations and infantry, subject all candidates to higher physical, mental, and psychological standards, regardless of sex or age. To become an Army Ranger specifically, the rigorous entry standards are identical, including the eligibility requirements and physical assessment. Mellinger, who served on an advisory board that oversaw the opening of Ranger School to women, said no standards have been lowered to accommodate the integration. He said White still has to earn her Ranger tab "every day, like every other ranger, like every other soldier." 'A bun on the back of a head' Kris Fuhr, a former Army captain who advocated for integrating women into Ranger School, described White competing for the Best Ranger title as "a three-day public display of what we've been saying for 10 years." "This administration sometimes makes decisions based on misinformation and myths," she told The Times. " Military policy should not be based on either of those." Mellinger, who attended this year's Best Ranger event, said, aside from "a bun on the back of a head," White was indistinguishable from the other male competitors until another spectator pointed her out. "She had the skill and the physical ability to get it done," he said.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
25-Year-Old West Point Grad Becomes First Woman to Complete Army's 3-Day Best Ranger Competition
The U.S. Army's Best Ranger Competition has its first female finisher. First Lt. Gabrielle A. White and her teammate, Capt. Seth Deltenre, completed the annual three-day competition at Camp Roger in Fort Benning, Georgia, on April 13. White, a 25-year-old West Point graduate, became the first woman to compete and finish the intensive challenge. White and Deltenre placed 14th out of the 52 two-person teams in the competition, which involves more than 30 events such as combat water survival, bayonet obstacle course, ballistic breaching, helocast, rope bridge, military knots and other physically and mentally taxing skills. Related: Army First Sergeant Needs Help to 'Rescue' Pup He Befriended Overseas: 'It's So Dangerous Here for a Dog Like Her' Army spokesman Christopher Surridge told PEOPLE that White is an 11A (infantry officer) 'assigned to the Maneuver Captains Career Course, B Company, 3rd Battalion, 81st Armored Regiment, 199th Infantry Brigade.' White graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in May 2021 and completed Ranger School in April 2022. White's past accolades, per Surridge, include 'two Army Commendation Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Ranger Tab and Air Assault Badge.' is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! Related: Woman Breaks Record for World's Biggest Female Mouth Gape — Watch Her Fit Everyday Objects in Her 'Very Tall' Mouth The Best Ranger Competition's website describes the challenge, launched in 1982, as a 'grueling competition, starring the best soldiers of the world.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Soldiers Kevin Moore and Griffin Hokanson won the 2025 competition. Ten years ago, the Army started allowing women to enter U.S. Army Ranger School in 2015 — with Kristen Marie Griest and Shaye Lynne Haver becoming the first two women to graduate that year. Read the original article on People
