Fort Sill Graduates First Gender-Integrated Basic Combat Class

Fort Sill graduated its first gender-integrated Basic Combat Training class at Fort Sill last Friday. It was the first class at Ft. Sill to include both men and women in over 10 years. Guest speaker Lt. Col. Todd Wasmund, commander of 1st Battalion, 17th Field Artillery, said,

"Many expected that gender-integrated training, as the Army calls it, would present new challenges." But he cited a recent news article in which a drill sergeant said, "The fact that female privates are here hasn't changed anything, because they're soldiers just like the males.  By all accounts, all of you have proven it's really no big deal." He added, "It's not about men and women. It's about soldiers. All of you have completed the same tough and realistic Basic Combat Training that is designed to prepare you for the challenges and opportunities that await you."

Read the full newspaper article here.