Kristen Marie Griest

Last updated
Kristen Marie Griest
Cpt. Kristen Griest.jpg
Born (1989-10-02) October 2, 1989 (age 34)
AllegianceFlag of the United States.svg United States
Service/branchFlag of the United States Army.svg  United States Army
USA - Army Infantry Insignia.png Infantry
Years of service2011–present
Rank US-O4 insignia.svg Major
Commands heldBravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Awards Ranger Tab.svg Ranger

Kristen Marie Griest (born October 2, 1989) is one of the two first women, along with Shaye Lynne Haver, to graduate from the United States Army Ranger School, which occurred on 21 August 2015. [1] [2] [3] Griest and Haver were ranked 34th on Fortune magazine's 2016 list of the World's Greatest Leaders. [4] In April 2016, Griest became the first female infantry officer in the US Army when the Army approved her request to transfer there from a military police unit. [5]

Contents

Early life and education

Griest attended Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge, Connecticut, where she ran cross country and track. [6] She graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations. In 2022, she earned a Master's degree in Socio-Organizational Psychology from Columbia University.

Military career

Griest graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2011 and commissioned into the Military Police branch of the U.S. Army. [7] [6] She served as a Platoon Leader in the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AASLT) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, from 2011 to 2014, including a deployment to Afghanistan [6] in 2013. [8]

Griest began Ranger training in the spring of 2015 as part of a one-time pilot program to see how women would do in Ranger School. She started the course with 380 men and 19 other women, marking the first time women have ever been allowed to participate through the course. 99 men and 2 women graduated from this starting pool. The third woman repeated the mountain phase. The three of them began training with Ranger Class 08–15. Haver and Griest failed the first phase of the course twice, though their performance impressed Ranger leaders enough to be offered a chance to start over from day one, commonly referred to as a "Day 01" recycle. They admitted to press that it was hard to start over, but said they weren't going to quit. "We decided right then and there that if that was what it was going to take to get our Tab, that's what it was going to take," Haver said. [9] School officials report that in addition to Haver and Griest, five male candidates were also offered to start over the course from day one; one in four candidates completed Ranger school without a recycle. [9]

Upon graduating Ranger School, Haver remarked, "It's pretty cool that they have accepted (Griest and Haver). We ourselves came to Ranger School skeptical, with our guards up, just in case there were haters and naysayers. But we didn't come with a chip on our shoulder like we had anything to prove. Becoming one of the teammates—that we could be trusted just like everyone else—whether it was on patrol or to carry something heavy or whatever—it was that every single time we accomplished something it gave us an extra foothold in being part of a team. I can say that without a doubt that the team that I am graduating with tomorrow accept me completely as a Ranger, and I couldn't be more proud and humbled by the experience." Griest made a statement agreeing with this sentiment, saying, "My main concern in coming to Ranger School was I might not be able to carry as much weight or not be able to meet up to the same standard," she said. "I tried to do as much as I could, and I saw everybody else helping each other out and you just try to be the best teammate that you can." [9]

At that time, women were not allowed to serve in Ranger/Infantry roles due to the Pentagon's exclusion policies on women in combat. That policy changed on 3 December 2015 when Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced the United States military would open combat positions to women with no exception. [10]

Upon graduating from the Maneuver Captains Career Course (MCCC), she took command of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment on April 7, 2017. [5] She deployed to Afghanistan in 2019. [11] As of April 2022, Griest was a student at Columbia University, where she was pursuing a master’s degree in Socio-Organizational Psychology, with plans for a follow-on assignment as a West Point Tactical Officer. [11] [12] She was promoted to major in May 2022. [13]

Honors

In 2018, CPT Griest was inducted into the United States Army Women's Foundation Hall of Fame. [14]

Misuse of name

Griest's name has been used fraudulently on phishing email messages unconnected with her, both dating scams and financial scams about billions of United States dollars missing in Iraq. [15] [16]

Awards and decorations

Personal decorations
Bronze Star ribbon.svg Bronze Star Medal
Army Commendation Medal ribbon.svg Army Commendation Medal
National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg National Defense Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign ribbon.svg Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service ribbon.svg Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Army Service Ribbon.svg Army Service Ribbon
NATO Medal Yugoslavia ribbon bar.svg NATO Medal for ex-Yugoslavia
Unit awards
Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg
United States Army and U.S. Air Force Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg
Army Presidential Unit Citation with 1 Oak leaf cluster
Valorous Unit Award ribbon.svg Valorous Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg Meritorious Unit Commendation with 2 Oak leaf clusters
Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg
Army Superior Unit Award ribbon.svg
Army Superior Unit Award with 1 Oak leaf cluster
Other accoutrements
Expert Infantry Badge.svg Expert Infantryman Badge
US Army Airborne basic parachutist badge.gif Parachutist Badge
AirAssault.svg Air Assault Badge
Ranger Tab.svg Ranger Tab
US 101st Airborne Division patch.svg 101st Airborne Division Combat Service Identification Badge
505 Inf Rgt DUI.png 505th Infantry Regiment distinctive unit insignia
German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency.jpg Gold German Military Proficiency Badge
ArmyOSB.svg 1 Overseas Service Bar

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References

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  2. Thompson, Mark (18 August 2015). "Female Army Ranger Grads Are Among Nation's Top Soldiers, But Can't Fight". Time . Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  3. Oppel, Richard A. (19 August 2015). "2 Women Set to Graduate From Ranger School Are Experienced Officers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  4. Colvin, Geoff. "Kristen Griest and Shaye Haver". Fortune Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  5. 1 2 Martinez, Luis (April 27, 2016). "Trailblazer Becomes Army's First Female Infantry Officer". ABC News . Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 Stannard, Ed (19 August 2015). "Capt. Kristen Griest of Orange breaks barrier, earns Army Ranger tab". The New Haven Register. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  7. "Kristen Marie Griest". West Point Association of Graduates. Archived from the original on 2022-07-20. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
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  9. 1 2 3 Cox, Matthew (20 August 2015). "Male Classmates Say Female Rangers 'Are Here to Stay'". Military.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021.
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  11. 1 2 Lamothe, Dan (May 8, 2021). "An Army trailblazer set her sights on a new target. The reaction highlights a deep rift". The Washington Post . Washington, DC.
  12. Griest, Kristen (April 11, 2022). "Personality Typing for a 'People First' Army". From the Green Notebook. Southern Pines, NC: Joe Byerly. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  13. Gray, Sakura (May 7, 2022). "National Infantry Museum honors first female Infantry Officer with exhibit". WRBL.com. Nexstar Media Inc. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
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