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Army 1st Lt. Mackenzie Corcoran, inspired by fellow U.S. Army Ranger School graduates, became one of few women to earn the coveted Ranger, Sapper and Jungle tabs.
Corcoran followed the progress of three women graduating from Ranger School: Army 1st Lt. Erin O’Hara, a college classmate; Army Capt. Sara Febbo; and Army 1st Lt. Rachael Kicklighter, the first female honor graduate. Although she was not present at the ceremonies and wasn’t in the same units as these graduates, hearing about their achievements continually boosted her confidence.
“If they can do it, I can do it,” said Corcoran assigned to the 29th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where she has been triple-tabbed with the Ranger, Sapper and Jungle.
This realization helped her finally break through the barrier of self-doubt that had stood between her and Ranger School. To bolster her confidence further, she sought encouragement from five Ranger-tabbed soldiers who had motivated and supported her throughout her journey.
As she stood in the Brigade Hall of Heroes, the brigade command team — who were also the Rangers who had motivated her — each took turns shaving her head.
“Having people that truly believe in you,” said Corcoran, “is the biggest step towards Ranger.”
From chemistry lab to jungle warfare
Corcoran joined the Army in May 2021 after graduating from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. Shortly after graduating from the Basic Officer Leader Course in June 2021, she was assigned to the 29th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th ID at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Corcoran said she always knew she wanted to attend the Jungle Operations Training Course, or JOTC, a 12-day course that teaches students how to navigate and operate in jungle environments using various tactics, techniques and procedures.
One week after arriving at her unit in January 2022, she was given the opportunity to attend JOTC at Lightning Academy. She graduated and earned her first tab, an arch worn on Army uniforms that signifies a special skill.
Completing JOTC was the first of many accomplishments for Corcoran. She said she believes it is a great starting point for anyone wanting to challenge themselves in an Army course that requires skills such as teamwork, navigation, communication, and that it effectively builds self-confidence as it did for her.
“It taught me that I can accomplish an Army school and inspired me to really pursue Sapper,” Corcoran said.
Sapper: Pushing beyond the limit
With the help of her command team she managed to find time in her schedule from November to December 2022 to attend the Sapper Leader Course without impacting her platoon leader responsibilities. The Sapper Leader Course is a challenging 28-day course for combat engineers focused on developing leadership while reinforcing essential skills and teaching advanced techniques.
Corcoran had never undergone the physical challenges she encountered during the Sapper Leader Course. She was uncertain how limited rations and sleep would affect her body, mind and leadership methods.
No one realizes how far our bodies and minds can actually go until we push them to the limit,” Corcoran said.
Every day, the students were given an hour for eating and sleeping, known as “Sapper time.” On one particularly hard day, the famished and exhausted students were running laps in the pouring rain, cutting their usual one hour down to 20 minutes.
Once the students were allotted their Sapper time, Corcoran huddled under her poncho, wet and tired.
“It was miserable, we were all miserable,” Corcoran said, choosing to eat her field rations over taking the time for sleep.
A close friend soon joined her, confiding that he was having thoughts of quitting.
Corcoran objected, “We are three days away from finishing; we’re not quitting.”
A Ranger’s challenge
Corcoran faced many challenges throughout her journey collecting each tab, the biggest of which was her lack of confidence in herself.
“Everyone is afraid of failure, but I knew I would hate myself if I didn’t try,” she said.
Corcoran earned her promotion to first lieutenant in January 2023. She achieved another milestone in her quest for a challenge by completing Ranger School. Ranger School helps prepare both enlisted soldiers and officers to lead while facing the challenges of combat and is named one of the most challenging and demanding military training programs.
Corcoran said, “Ranger was physically easier than Sapper, but with so much time to my thoughts, it made it more mentally challenging.”
Ranger School consists of three phases: Benning, Mountain and Florida. Soldiers have two attempts to pass each phase; if they fail, they must start that phase over. Corcoran experienced that firsthand, having had to recycle the Benning Phase once.
Corcoran was the 135th woman to graduate and earn her Ranger tab, making her the eighth woman to be double-tabbed with Ranger and Sapper.
Aiming high
Corcoran is proud to wear the Ranger, Sapper and Jungle tabs on her shoulder along with the airborne badge prominently displayed on her chest — each a testament to her growing list of achievements.
In the near future, Corcoran plans to attend the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program 2, a three-week course that evaluates and selects the best Rangers to be assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment. After promoting to captain and graduating from the Captains Career Course, she hopes to be assigned to Fort Liberty, North Carolina, to be closer to family and participate in more airborne operations.
“As long as I am serving the Army and the Army is serving me, I see no reason to get out,” Corcoran said.
As she progresses in her career, Corcoran says she would like to attend Air Assault School and Pathfinder School, and she would like to achieve and earn her Expert Soldier Badge.
“I want to continue challenging myself by attending as many Army courses as possible,” she said.
Wearing each of her hard-earned and well-deserved tabs brings Corcoran confidence in herself. She hopes to inspire that same confidence in soldiers across the Army by encouraging all soldiers who want to attend an Army course to pursue it.
“You are going to be your biggest advocate,” she said. “The best time to go is yesterday.”
Get to know Army 1st Lt. Mackenzie Corcoran
Corcoran comes from a family with deep military roots:
- Great-grandfather: retired Air Force Col. Joseph Corcoran Sr. (logistician)
- Grandfather: retired Air Force Col. Joseph Corcoran Jr. (logistician)
- Father: retired Army Col. Joseph Corcoran III (logistician)
- Mother: retired Army Capt. Jennifer Corcoran, Ph.D. (social worker)
Outside of work, Corcoran enjoys hiking and spending time with friends at the sandbar or on the beach.
