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Sgt Mae Moss (MayDay)
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Holm, Jeanne Marjorie, Maj Gen.
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2/17/2010 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) - The first woman to serve as major general in the Air Force, and the Department of Defense, passed away Feb. 15.
Retired Maj. Gen. Jeanne M. Holm is credited as the single driving force in achieving parity for military women and making them a viable part of the mainstream military.
The Portland, Ore., native attained the rank of two-star general in 1973 after a career that began 31 years earlier in 1942 when she enlisted in the Army. General Holm entered Women's Army Air Corps in January 1943 where she received a commission as third officer, the WAAC equivalent of second lieutenant.
General Holm also became the first woman to attend the Air Command and Staff School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., in 1952.
She was promoted to brigadier general July 16, 1971, the first female Airman to be appointed in this grade. She was promoted to the grade of major general effective June 1, 1973, with date of rank July 1, 1970 - the first woman in the armed forces to serve in that grade.
In recognition of General Holm's pioneering career, Air Force officials renamed the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools at Maxwell AFB the Jeanne M. Holm Officer Accession and Citizen Development Center in June 2008. Its mission is Air Force officer recruitment and training within the Air University.
General Holm was also an author of two books about women in the military. "Women in the Military: An Unfinished Revolution" came out in 1982 and was updated in 1994. Four years later she wrote "In Defense of a Nation: Servicewomen in World War II."
During World War II, General Holm was assigned to the Women's Army Corps Training Center at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., where she first commanded a basic training company and then a training regiment. At the end of the war, she commanded the 106th WAC Hospital Company at Newton D. Baker General Hospital, W.Va. She then left active military duty in 1946.
In October 1948 during the Berlin crisis, she was recalled to active duty with the Army and went to Camp Lee, Va., as a company commander. The following year she transferred to the Air Force, when a new law integrated women in the regular armed forces.
General Holm served in a variety of personnel assignments, including director of Women in the Air Force from 1965 to 1973. She played a significant role in eliminating restrictions on numbers of women serving in all ranks, expanding job and duty station assignments for women, opening ROTC and service academies to women, and changing the policies on the status of women in the armed forces. During her tenure, policies affecting women were updated, WAF strength more than doubled, job and assignment opportunities expanded, and uniforms modernized.
The general retired in 1975. She served three presidential administrations: special assistant on women for President Gerald Ford, policy consultant for President James Carter and first chairperson of the Veterans Administration's Committee on Women Veterans for President Ronald Reagan.
Other Comments:
MAJOR GENERAL JEANNE M. HOLM
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Retired June 1, 1975.
Died Feb. 15, 2010. Major General Jeanne M. Holm is director of the Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council. In this position, she assures proper administration of the council and functioning of its boards and serves as president of the boards - the Air Force Discharge Review Board, Personnel Board, Board of Review, Physical Disability Appeal Board, Decorations Board and the Disability Review Board. She takes final action for the secretary of the Air Force on the majority of matters referred to the council; advises the secretary, chief of staff, and directorates of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel, of personnel trends and recommends policy action when appropriate.
General Holm was born in 1921, in Portland, Ore. She enlisted in the Army in July 1942, soon after the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps was established by Congress. She attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, and in January 1943 received a commission as a "Third Officer," the WAAC equivalent to second lieutenant.
During World War II, General Holm was assigned to the Women's Army Corps Training Center at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., where she first commanded a basic training company and then a training regiment. At the end of the war, she commanded the 106th WAC Hospital Company at Newton D. Baker General Hospital, W.Va. She then left active military duty in 1946 and attended Lewis and Clark College for two years, returning in 1956 for her bachelor of arts degree.
In October 1948 during the Berlin crisis, General Holm was recalled to active duty with the Army and went to Camp Lee, Va., as a company commander. The following year she transferred to the Air Force and was sent to Erding Air Depot, Germany. There she served as assistant director of plans and operations for the 7200th Air Force Depot Wing, and later was War Plans Officer for the 85th Air Depot Wing, during the Berlin airlift and the early phases of the Korean War.
General Holm returned from overseas in 1952 and became the first woman to attend the Air Command and Staff School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. She was then assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force in Washington, D.C., as a personnel plans and programs officer in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel.
Her next assignment was as chief of manpower in Allied Air Forces Southern Europe, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters, in Naples, Italy, where she served for four years. She returned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force in 1961 and was assigned as congressional staff officer for the director of manpower and organization. For her work in this assignment, she was awarded the Legion of Merit.
General Holm was appointed director, Women in the Air Force, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel, in November 1965. She was extended in that position twice. She was responsible for overall staff cognizance of and advice on matters concerning military women in the Air Force. During her tenure, policies affecting women were updated, WAF strength more than doubled, job and assignment opportunities greatly expanded, and uniforms modernized. She has been an active exponent for expanding the opportunities for women to serve in the Armed Forces and a catalyst for changing their roles and career opportunities within the Air Force. For her exceptionally meritorious service in this assignment; she was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
On March 1, 1973, General Holm was appointed director of the Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council.
She is a member of the Board of Trustees, Air Force Historical Foundation; member of the Board of Directors of Camp Fire Girls, Inc.; member of Board of Directors of the Pentagon Federal Credit Union; and member of the Air Force Association. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Lewis and Clark College in 1968; Citation of Honor from the Air Force Association in 1971; and the Eugene Zuckert Leadership Award from the Arnold Air Society in 1972. General Holm is an accomplished snow and water skier, student of ancient history, scuba diver and skipper of her own power cruiser. Prior to entering military service, she was a professional silversmith.
She was promoted to the grade of brigadier general July 16, 1971, the first woman to be appointed in this grade in the Air Force. She was promoted to the grade of major general effective June 1, 1973, with date of rank July 1, 1970, and is the first woman in the Armed Forces to serve in that grade.
(Current as of Aug. 15, 1973)
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Major General Jeanne Holm, USAF (Ret.) has been a driving force in achieving parity for military women.
After enlisting during World War II as a truck driver in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, Holm graduated from Officer Candidate School and, after the war, received a regular commission in the newly formed United States Air Force. There she held a variety of positions in the United States and overseas, including work with NATO. From 1965 to 1973, as Director of Women in the Air Force, she worked tenaciously to enhance the status and expand the roles and opportunities for women in the armed services. She led efforts to remove outdated laws and policies that discriminated against women in the military. She advocated opening ROTC to women and admitting women to flying programs.
In 1971, Holm became the first Air Force woman to be promoted to Brigadier General. Two years later, she became the first woman in all the armed forces to achieve the rank of Major General. Among her military awards are the Legion of Merit and two Distinguished Service Medals. She is also the author of two books detailing the history of women in the armed forces during World War II and throughout history, the most noted being Women In The Military: An Unfinished Revolution.
Upon her retirement from the military, Holm served President Gerald Ford as a Special Assistant focusing on women's issues. She initiated a Justice Department review of all laws and policies discriminating against women. As a member of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, she advocated the need for the removal of artificial barriers to military women's careers. She continued these efforts during the Carter Administration as a consultant on military women to the Under Secretary of the Air Force. During the Reagan Administration, she became the first chairperson of the Veterans Administration's Committee on Women Veterans, successfully advocating parity for women veterans, their benefits, and needs.
General Holm is recognized as the driving force behind the successful movement for women achieving equal opportunities and equal rights in the military. Her challenge to the military leadership to utilize the talents of military women was the foundation for sweeping increases in the numbers of, and opportunities for, women in the military.
Additional Resources:Edited by Judith Bellafaire, written by Holm. In Defense of a Nation: Servicewomen in World War II. Vandamere Press, 1997.
Edited by E. A. Blacksmith. Women in the military. New York: Wilson, 1992. NOTES: "The Reference Shelf" series; v.64, no. 5. Bibliography: p.154-162.
Women in the Miliatry: an unfinished revolution. Novato, California: Presidio Press, 1982.Â
Women in the Military. United States. Congress. House Committee on Armed Services. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1981.
Interview, Oral History Collection. Topical Projects (1975-1985). 6 items for "history of womenin the Armed Forces. U.S. Army War College Library. Carlisle Barrack, Pennsylvania.
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Death
From Wikipedia:
On February 15, 2010, Holm died from pneumonia in both lungs. She was survived by her longtime friend Doctor Lieutenant Colonel Norma Loeser, USAF (Retired), and by members of her family including her niece Kalynne Holm. Arrangements are being made to bury Holm at Arlington National Cemetery.
