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The Marine Corps made history yesterday, when 2nd Lt. Lillian Polatchek became the first female Marine to graduate from the Army’s Armor Basic Officer Leaders Course. Not only is Polatchek a trailblazer for being the service’s first female tank officer — she also graduated at the top of her class.
The 19-week course takes place at Fort Benning, Georgia, where service members are trained up on the finer points of kicking ass in 50-ton armored killing machines, and directing the fire and maneuver of behemoths like the M1 Abrams.
Related: Born In A Russian Prison, She’s Now A Trailblazing Infantry Marine »
“Although the course is fairly large... the small group of Marines that go there really worked well together,” Polatchek said in a Department of Defense press release, adding that the top three students were all Marines.
On April 12, the Marine Corps’ Twitter account posted a short video praising Polatchek, and it quickly went viral.
Today, a Marine made history. pic.twitter.com/6qK8de6Yw0
— U.S. Marines (@USMC) April 13, 2017
Even so, Polatchek downplays her role in making military history.
“Ultimately, I'm sort of just looking at it as another Marine graduating from this course,” she said in the video.
Polatchek will now head to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where she’ll report to 2nd Tank Battalion.
KABUL/PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - The Taliban will implement a 10-day ceasefire with U.S. troops, a reduction in violence with Afghan forces and discussions with Afghan government officials if it reaches a deal with U.S. negotiators in talks in Doha, two sources have said.
If an agreement is sealed, it could revive hopes for a long-term solution to the conflict in Afghanistan.
DoD restricts firearms, base access, and travel for foreign military students training in the US
The Defense Department announced on Friday that training would resume for international military students — once some additional policies and security measures were put in place.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. House of Representatives committee renewed a threat on Friday to subpoena Secretary of State Mike Pompeo if he does not provide information about Iran policy and President Donald Trump's ordering of the strike that killed an Iranian military commander.
Representative Eliot Engel, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he scheduled a public hearing with Pompeo for Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Iraqi security forces earlier this week captured a larger-than-life ISIS official so massive that authorities were forced to haul him off in the bed of a police pickup truck after his arrest.
Pentagon dismisses idea that injuries from Iranian base attack were downplayed for 'political agenda'
THE PENTAGON — While speaking to reporters on Friday, Chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman dismissed the idea that soldiers' injuries from the Jan. 8 Iranian attack was downplayed in order to advance a "political agenda" and de-escalate the situation with Iran.