Major General Jeanne Marjorie Holm, An Airman's Story

Major General Jeanne Marjorie Holm, An Airman's Story

Major General Jeanne Marjorie Holm

Born June 23, 1921 - Died February 15, 2010

Major General Jeanne Marjorie Holm was born on June 23, 1921, in Portland, Oregon. Active and adventurous from an early age, she was an accomplished skier, both water and snow, and remained involved in the sport throughout her life. Before entering military service, she also worked as a professional silversmith, a trade that reflected both discipline and precision.

On May 14, 1942, following congressional approval of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), Jeanne Holm enlisted in response to World War II. She completed Officer Candidate School in 1943 and was assigned to the Women’s Army Training Center. During the war, she commanded both a basic training company and later an entire training regiment, playing a central role in preparing women for military service. After the war, she oversaw the 106th WAC Hospital Company.

Holm briefly left active duty to complete her education at Lewis & Clark College, but returned to service in 1948, commanding a Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps unit at Fort Lee, Virginia. In 1949, she transferred to the newly independent United States Air Force and was assigned to the Erding Air Depot in Germany. There, she served as Assistant Director of Plans and Operations before becoming War Plans Officer for the 85th Air Depot Wing.

In 1952, Major General Holm became the first woman to attend and graduate from the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base. Following graduation, she served as Chief of Manpower for Allied Air Forces Southern Europe, continuing to influence personnel policy at an international level during the early Cold War.

In 1961, she returned to Air Force headquarters in Washington, D.C., where she served as the congressional staff officer for the Director of Manpower and Organization. In 1965, she was appointed Director of Women in the Air Force within the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel. In this role, Major General Holm modernized women’s service classifications, expanded career opportunities, and helped integrate women more fully into the Air Force’s professional structure. Her appointment was extended twice, making her the longest-serving Director of Women in the US Air Force history.

On July 16, 1971, she became the first woman promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force, and on June 1, 1973, she became the first woman to attain the rank of Major General in any branch of the United States military.

After retiring in 1975, Major General Holm continued her public service as a consultant for the Defense Manpower Commission and as a special assistant in President Gerald Ford’s Office of Women’s Programs. She contributed to a comprehensive review of the U.S. Code to identify and eliminate unnecessary sex-based language in federal law.

In retirement, she authored Women in the Military: An Unfinished Revolution and In Defense of a Nation: Servicewomen in World War II, and later consulted on Linda Witt’s A Defense Weapon Known to Be of Value: Servicewomen of the Korean War Era.

Major General Jeanne Marjorie Holm died on February 15, 2010, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

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