Meet Captain Kristen Griest, a true Army trailblazer. She was commissioned as the 2nd Lieutenant in the Military Police branch. This helped her gain experience as close to the infantry as possible. During her time in the Army, she has led over 100 missions, and even worked with the Afghan Army during Operation Enduring Freedom. Her drive to achieve excellence propelled her further as she constantly broke down barriers for women in the military. Today, Kristen Griest is still inspiring women in the military years later through her inspirational talks and social media presence. Learn more about how she got her start.
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Kristen Griest’s Early Life and Military Journey
Kristen Griest ran track and cross country during her teenage years at Amity Regional High School. In 2011, she graduated from West Point with a Bachelors of Science degree in International Relations.
Kristen Marie Griest, one of the two women who graduated from Ranger School, avoided the social media spotlight for a while. However, she finally stepped up when Army officials planned to consider the test scores of men and women separately amid complaints about a gender gap.
She saw women failing upper-body tests and decided to speak up saying, “Your gender is not as much of a limitation as you think it is.” Kristen has always been a strong advocator for women in the military and believes that women are strong in their own way and should be celebrated.
However, she received a varied response to her message from other female service members, and was accused of “internalized misogyny.” These reactions further highlight the challenges that persist for women in the military and the continual struggle to overcome systemic issues.
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Kristen Griest: Breaking Down Barriers and Achieving Excellence
There are many different awards that she has received in the past years. For instance, she was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Military Police branch. Additionally, she was assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team. Kristen Griest notes that she was held to a high standard and this made all the difference when growing up and meeting her goals.
In 2013, she went to Afghanistan. She did tremendous work by leading over 100 missions and working with the Afghan Army during Operation Enduring Freedom. During this time, she got the Army Bronze Star Medal. Is that all? You might be asking yourself, nope.
She was one of the few women to go to Army Ranger School out of 400 applicants. A little after she was out of two women to earn Ranger tabs. Kristen Griest then decided to transfer from the Military Police to being the first female infantry officer in United States history.
The Legacy Behind the Ranger Tab
The ranger tab itself came about in the1950s. During World War 2, Anthony Rada, the 1st Ranger Battalion created the Ranger scroll for his Battalion to wear.
In 1943 another design came out. People weren’t a fan of it. Most people stuck with the unauthorized “Rada” scroll. From 1954 to the early 1970s the Army’s goal was to have one Ranger tabbed NCO per infantry platoon and one officer per company. To meet this goal the Army required all combat arms officers to become ranger qualified in 1954.
A ranger tab is for someone who completes Ranger School. Once you receive this tab you must wear it for the remainder of your military career.
Kristen Griest Calls For the Same Fitness Standards For Men and Women
An outspoken advocate for women’s rights and fairness, Kristen Griest has called for the service to not revert to separate fitness standards for men and women. She has been very clear on her stance. Evaluating women based on lower fitness standards will hurt the effectiveness of combat arm units, and women in the Army as a whole.
When asked about her position Griest stated, “Under a gender-based system, women in combat arms have to fight every day to dispel the notion that their presence inherently weakens these previously all-male units. Lower female standards also reinforce the belief that women cannot perform the same job as men, therefore making it difficult for women to earn the trust and confidence of their teammates.”
The Army is in the process of considering a revision to the Army Combat Fitness Test, which is currently gender-neutral. This revision came to light after lawmakers had concerns about the test’s fairness after less than half of women who took the ACFT in 2020 passed. Kristen Griest has called attention to this fact. These failures show Soldiers what they most need to work on, serving as a guide for future success.
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