Avenger of the Week | United States Army Captain Shaina Coss

When Army Captain Shaina Coss was deployed to Afghanistan to fight the insurgent Taliban in 2019, she made history as the first woman to lead a Ranger platoon into combat.

That milestone followed several others in the impressive career of this 2016 graduate of West Point, and no doubt there is more to come.

“What inspires me as a leader is just the men and women that serve alongside me every single day, and just waking up trying to be the best leader that I possibly can for them,” Coss wrote in Military.com.

Coss, who hails from Fairfax, Virginia, is the daughter of an infantry colonel and former Ranger. She was among the first 10 women to graduate from Ranger School, one of the most difficult in the Army. She credits her father and Captain Kirsten Griest, who graduated from Ranger School in 2015, the first year women were permitted in Ranger School, initially on a trial basis.

Assigned to Fort Bragg, Georgia, Coss became the leader of an infantry rifle platoon in the 82nd Airborne Division. She then joined the elite 75th Ranger Regiment of the Army’s premier direct-action raid force, where she became the first woman to lead an infantry platoon, eventually to serve in Afghanistan.

For her service to her country and for her many trailblazing achievements, Army Captain Shaina Coss is our Avenger of the Week.

The @GenderAvenger #AvengerOfTheWeek is Army Capt. Shaina Coss: "What inspires me as a leader is… the men and women that serve alongside me every single day, and just waking up trying to be the best leader that I possibly can for them.” #GenderAvenger https://www.genderavenger.com/blog/avenger-of-the-week-shaina-coss