19 women try out for Army Rangers, none make the cut

Three of the women washed out on day one of training for the Army’s most elite units. Eight were allowed to "recycle," in an effort to complete the first stage, but none did.

Some believe women are fighting an unwinnable battle.

"Women will always fight to meet the male standard, even if it's arbitrary and kind of stupid," Col. Jason Amerine, a Ranger and West Point graduate told The Christian Science Monitor. "And men don't want to change it either, because it lets us thump our chest."

But, Army Gen. Raymond Odierno isn't one of them. "We've set standards for Ranger School for a very long time," he told reporters.

“I’m actually fairly adamant about not changing the physical standards.”

Everyone agrees qualifying to be a Ranger is one of the most difficult tasks ever endured. One recalled his “feet didn’t feel the same for about two years,” after he finished.

The Army Times reports 195 out of 381 male soldiers will move to the second, or mountain phase of training.

As for women trying out Odierno said, “we’ll probably run a couple more pilots. I don’t think we’re going to give up on it.”

More here.