and gayle tzemach lemmon is a journalist and senior fellow at the council on foreign relations. she is also the author of "ashley's war: the untold story of a team of women soldiers on the special ops battlefield." and we welcome you both to the program. colonel haring, to you first. just how significant is it that these two women, first two women, are coming out of ranger training school successfully? >> well, i think it's enormous. i've got to tell you that the west point community, at least the west point women have been just... i can't even describe the level of enthusiasm and excitement that has been pouring out of the women graduates community right now. look at our facebook site and everybody has just pictures of the rangers school and what this means to us. >> woodruff: gayle tzemach lemmon, you have been reporting on this ranger program for a number of months. how is everyone involved in the program viewing this? >> well, i think for leadership, you know, the issue was we want to keep the standard the same, and we want the prove to people that nothing will be changed. w

gayle tzemach lemmon joins us from aspen, colorado. author of the book and also a senior fellow at the council on formulations. thank you for being with us. guest: great to join you. host: let's talk about your book that also about these into army rangers who completed the rigorous program making history in the military. guest: it has been an incredible week. alongside served rangers in war, they have died alongside rangers in war, and now they have been able to earn the ranger tab in their own rights. it is really big for west point women and it has been an incredible women. i think for women in the military, my phone was buzzing all week with women who are in the special operations community, women who are outside this peschel operations community, really talking about what the moment this is. host: the question is, will they be able to serve on the front lines? that is a question that ash carter got this past week. what is your view on this? have. they already that's the thing. i don't know if america realizes that women have been o