A look inside Ranger School, where the Army's toughest soldiers are made

US Army

Two women made history this week when they completed Ranger School, one of the US military's most demanding courses. It's a grueling, two-month physical and mental gauntlet, and graduating from it earns almost universal respect within the armed forces - one of the quickest ways to show how tough you are in the Army is to wear a Ranger tab.

In the months it takes to complete the course, a soldier's endurance is pushed to the absolute limit. Ranger candidates survive on one meal a day and a few hours of sleep per night.

They arrive at Ft. Benning in the best shape of their lives and will lose an average of 20 pounds if they stay the full course.

The Discovery Channel's "Surviving the Cut" shows the 61-day course at Fort Benning and offers a glimpse into some of the toughest military training in the world. The attrition rate at Ranger School is intense and less than one-in-three who start the course achieve the coveted tab.

This post is originally by Allison Churchill, Robert Johnson, and Geoffrey Ingersoll