For the first time, four women were among the 162 soldiers to graduate last week from cavalry scout one station unit training, the Ledger-Enquirer in Columbus, Georgia, reported.



The women and their classmates graduated Thursday after 17 weeks of training with 5th Squadron, 15th Cavalry Regiment, said the Ledger-Enquirer, earning the cavalry scout military occupational specialty of 19D.



Their graduation is the latest step forward as the Army continues to integrate its combat arms MOSs and units.



"This ceremony marks a key milestone in the life of your soldier," said Lt. Col. Daniel Enslen, commander of 5th Squadron, 15th Cavalry Regiment, during the soldiers' graduation at Fort Benning, Georgia. "Today, they graduate as cavalry scouts trained in the fundamentals of Army reconnaissance. Today, they are members of the United States military profession. Today, they are soldiers."





Enslen added that each soldier was held to the same standard while developing a broad range of military skills that include establishing observation posts, infiltrating hostile areas, calling indirect fire, and driving and firing several combat vehicles, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

The female soldiers will go on to units in the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, and the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, said Nate Snook, a spokesman for Fort Benning, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.