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Jeanne M. HolmAmerican military
Date of Birth: 23.06.1921
Country:  USA |
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Biography of Jean Holm
Jean Holm was an American military officer who became the first woman to achieve the rank of general in the United States Air Force (USAF) and the first woman to achieve the rank of general in the entire U.S. Army. She is credited with increasing the role of women in the USAF.
Early Life and Military Career
Jean Holm was born in Portland, Oregon. In July 1942, shortly after the establishment of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, she joined the U.S. Army. She attended the U.S. Air Force Officer Training School in Des Moines, Iowa, and in January 1943, she became a second lieutenant in the regular army. During World War II, Holm served at the Women's Army Corps Training Center in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, where she initially led a basic training course and later managed a local training battalion. Towards the end of the war, she led a unit of the Corps that worked in a hospital in West Virginia.
After leaving active duty in 1946, Holm attended Lewis and Clark College in Oregon, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. In October 1948, during the Berlin Blockade, she was called back to the army and stationed at Camp Lee, Virginia. A year later, she transferred to the USAF and served in Germany. Holm held various positions, utilizing her strategic skills, and contributed to the success of the Berlin airlift and the early stages of the Korean War.
Later Career and Achievements
Holm's next assignment was as the director of the Allied Air Forces Southern Europe at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Naples, Italy. In 1961, she returned to the USAF headquarters as the director of manpower resources. In November 1965, Holm became the permanent director of Women in the Air Force (WAF). She held this position for three terms, making her the longest-serving director of WAF. On July 16, 1971, Holm became a brigadier general, becoming the first woman in the USAF to achieve that rank. She was promoted to major general on June 1, 1973, becoming the first woman in the U.S. Army to achieve that rank.
After retiring from the USAF in 1975, Holm provided consulting services to the Defense Manpower Commission. In March 1976, she became President Gerald Ford's personal assistant, focusing on women's projects in the administration. Holm played a crucial role in helping Ford gain support from female voters by advocating for women's issues and removing gender bias from judicial codes. She authored two books about women in the military, with the second one published in 1998. In 2003, Holm assisted Linda Witt in writing a book about women who participated in the Korean War.
Legacy and Death
Jean Holm passed away on February 15, 2010, from pneumonia. She was buried on March 29, 2010, at Arlington National Cemetery. Her contributions to the military and her efforts to advance the role of women continue to inspire and pave the way for future generations.
