Photo By Spc. Mariah Aguilar | U.S. Army 1st Lt. Erin O'Hara, Officer of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery...... read more read more
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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii – "Having successfully completed Small Ranger Unit Tactics, I knew I would stop at nothing to achieve my five-year goal of passing Ranger School," stated 1st Lt. Erin O'Hara, a Field Artillery Officer of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, during an interview at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, on July 14, 2023.
O'Hara's commitment to pursuing a military career path was deeply influenced by her family's longstanding tradition of service.
"My grandfather did three tours in Vietnam as an Army helicopter pilot," said O'Hara. "My father was intelligence for the Air Force."
Her family's longstanding legacy of service inspired her to join the U.S. Army.
“The excellent NCOs (Non-commissioned Officer’s) assigned to my ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) program pushed me to do better tactically and physically every day,” said O’Hara. “Their encouragement and mentorship made me want to try out for Ranger School.”
Every Soldier striving to become a Ranger must shave their head before arriving at Fort Moore, Georgia. O'Hare recalls sitting in the barber's chair, gazing into the mirror, looking at her long red locks in the reflection. With a deep breath, she shut her eyes as the barber shaved her entire head. As the clippers fell silent and she opened her eyes, she almost did not recognize herself.
"I knew it was going to be emotional to shave my head, but I did it with my friends who were also going to Ranger School, which made it easier," said O'Hara.
During Ranger School, women must adhere to grooming and uniform guidelines. As part of this requirement, women are expected to shave their heads, ensuring that the hair length does not exceed one inch from the scalp.
"It was great not to worry about it in the field," said O'Hara. "It's something that every Ranger can commiserate about since no one wanted to shave their head."
Ranger School is designed to develop and assess a soldier's leadership, combat, and survival skills.
"Ranger School stimulates the stress of combat through sleep and caloric deprivation," said O'Hara. "The combination of the elements, graded performance, and the intense terrain made for a challenging experience."
O'Hara underwent numerous obstacles that challenged her physically and mentally, proving that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to through perseverance and dedication.
"Finding the strength within yourself to lead your platoon in any environment under any conditions is a quality that our leaders need," said O'Hara. "Ranger School forced me and my classmates to hone those skills regardless of our rank, Military Occupational Specialty, or gender."
O'Hare said, "The best part of the School was meeting talented leaders from around the Army who pushed me to see situations differently and be a good leader, even when I was tired and hungry."
Studies have shown only 2.2% of qualified Army Rangers are women.
"Equality as a service member is incredibly important because no matter who you are, what your rank is, you deserve high quality training, coaching, and mentorship," said O'Hara. "The Army allows everyone the opportunity to be trained, be coachable, be mentored, and allows soldiers to go on and be leaders themselves no matter where they come from or what they do."
| Date Taken: | 08.17.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 08.17.2023 23:08 |
| Story ID: | 451615 |
| Location: | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 1,859 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Women's Equality Day - 1st Lt. Erin O'Hara, by SPC Abreanna Goodrich, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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