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Washington Women Among The First To Enlist For Newly Opened Army Jobs

Commander Lt. Col. Vylius Leskys administeres the Oath of Enlistment to Levani Ilasa, the first woman in the country to be enlisted into 19K - M1 Armor Crewman.
Photo courtesy of the Seattle Army Recruiting Battalion
Commander Lt. Col. Vylius Leskys administers the enlistment oath to Levani Ilasa, the first woman in the country to enlist on a combat tank crew.

Two Washington women signed up this week for Army jobs that were previously only open to men.

Loren Ross is the second woman in the country to enlist in infantry since the Army opened the positions up to women earlier this year.

The teen from Monroe won’t go to basic training for more than a year. Until then she’ll work with her recruiter mentors to prepare.

Levani Ilasa from Port Orchard also made history when she signed up to serve as what’s known as a combat tanker on an Army armored brigade.  Ilasa hopes to be the first woman on a combat tank crew.