University of North Georgia alumna 2nd Lt. Hayley Farmer, ‘22, on April 7 became the first woman to graduate from Ranger School after commissioning as an officer from UNG.
Farmer’s Ranger class started with 380 students, and 147 graduated, for a 60% attrition rate. She will next go through Stryker training at Fort Benning before going to her first assignment in Germany.
It isn’t the first history Farmer has made history, either. In May 2022, she was the first woman to commission into the Army infantry branch as her first choice from UNG, and only the second woman overall to commission into the infantry from UNG.
“Ranger School is a physically and mentally grueling combat leadership course designed to push Ranger students to the limits of their endurance often under extreme and hazardous conditions approaching that of actual combat,” Retired Lt. Col. Keith Antonia, UNG interim vice president for leadership and global engagement and a Ranger Hall of Fame member, said. “Despite a high attrition and recycle rate, Lt. Farmer made it straight through the 62-day course. That takes a lot of heart, guts, determination, and stamina.”
Farmer earned a litany of honors during her time at UNG. She was a part of three top-four Ranger Challenge teams at the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition, each of which won the ROTC title in the event at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Ranger Challenge is the varsity sport of Army ROTC, and teams compete against other colleges in events such as patrolling, marksmanship, weapons assembly, grenade assault course, Army Combat Fitness Test, land navigation, and road march.
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