0615 SW Palatine Hill Rd, Portland, OR 97219, United States
Jeanne Marjorie Holm graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon in 1956.
Gallery of Jeanne Holm
225 Chennault Cir, Montgomery, AL 36112, United States
In 1952 Jeanne finished Air Command and Staff College.
Career
Gallery of Jeanne Holm
Gallery of Jeanne Holm
Gallery of Jeanne Holm
Photograph of President Gerald Ford Meeting with Major General Jeanne Holm, Special Assistant for Women's Affairs, in the Oval Office.
Gallery of Jeanne Holm
Achievements
1971
In 1971, General Jeanne M. Holm became the first woman in any service to be promoted to the rank of Major General. General Holm was the first woman to reach one star in the Air Force and she helped pave a new path for all women.
Membership
Chair advisory committee women veterans VA, Washington
1986 - 1988
Advisory committee United States Coast Guard Academy
In 1971, General Jeanne M. Holm became the first woman in any service to be promoted to the rank of Major General. General Holm was the first woman to reach one star in the Air Force and she helped pave a new path for all women.
Jeanne Holm was a director of Women in the Air Force (WAF) 1965-1973. She was the first woman officer to attend Air Command and Staff College. Jeanne is the author of 'Women in the Military: An Unfinished Revolution'.
Background
Jeanne Marjorie Holm was born on June 23, 1921, in Portland, Oregon, United States. Her parents were John E. and Marjorie Holm. Her father died when she was very young, leaving her mother with three small children. They moved frequently, and her mother remarried when Jeanne was 15.
Education
Jeanne Marjorie Holm finished Officer Candidate School in January 1943.
In 1952 she finished Air Command and Staff College in Montgomery, Alabama.
Jeanne graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon in 1956.
Jeanne Holm enlisted in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC, later WAC) during the Second World War. As an air force officer, Holm served in a variety of staff positions, both in the United States and overseas. She was promoted to major in 1951 and completed the Air Command and Staff College the next year, the first woman to attend. In 1965 Holm was assigned to the Pentagon and in November was selected as director of Women in the Air Force and promoted to colonel. As a director, Holm enacted changes that positively affected all women in the armed forces. One of her first actions was to use the power of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) to assess the utilization of women in the military, including their potential for greater employment, recruitment, and retention. An inter-service working group was established that proposed changes that led to the signing of Public Law 9-130 on 8 November 1967. PL 9-130 allowed women to be promoted to general and flag grades opened promotions to colonel/captain, equalized retirement rules for men and women, and removed ceilings, including the 2 percent limit on the regular force strength of women in each service.
In 1968 Holm began her "New WAF" program, designed to enact important changes for the WAF through laws and regulations, including a new legal status, expanded strength, better utilization, improved promotion potential, higher morale, and improved retention. Under her guidance, air force women achieved greater equality with men; all noncombat career fields were opened, rank restrictions were removed, and women could be assigned to bases worldwide, attend all professional schools, receive full active-duty and retirement benefits, and remain on active duty while raising a family. Holm faced resistance to every proposed change, but she persisted.
Holm was promoted to brigadier general on 1 August 1971 and continued serving as WAF director until 30 May 1973. On 1 June 1973, she was promoted to major general, the first female two-star general in U.S. history, and was assigned as director of the Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council. Major General Holm retired from the air force in 1975. Holm has continued her involvement in military issues, serving on DACOWITS, contributing to professional journals, testifying to Congress regarding gender discrimination in the military, serving as a special assistant for women to the president, and speaking publicly about the important role of military women. She is the author of "Women in the Military: An Unfinished Revolution," widely regarded as an essential text on U.S. servicewomen.
Jeanne Holm consulted for the Defense Manpower Commission. In March 1976 Holm was a special assistant to President Gerald Ford for the Office of Women's Programs. She helped Ford attract more female voters by reaching out to women's groups and making note of women's issues. Holm detailed for Ford a plan for presentation to the Justice Department which would authorize a full re-examination of the United States Code to determine whether the wording of any law was sex-based and not justified. She directed the attorney general to begin the task and announced it to the public on July 1, 1976. At the polls, women voters favored Ford by a small percentage but were outnumbered by a larger male turnout.
Views
In 1973 Jeanne Holm assisted attorneys representing military women suing the air force for sex discrimination and was instrumental in helping them receive the same benefits for their civilian spouses as men had received for theirs.
Quotations:
"I set about trying to open up as many fields as I could to women, using any gimmick I could."
"In the military a racist is not allowed to act like one, but it’s still sort of winked at to be sexist."
Membership
Jeanne M. Holm was a chair advisory committee of women veterans, Washington during 1986-1988. Also, she was in the advisory committee of the United States Coast Guard Academy, 1983-1989.
Jeanne was a director United States Committee for United Nations Fund for Women.
Holm was a member of the Trustee Air Force Aid Society, 1988-1996, Air Force History Foundation.
She was a member national advisory committee Women in Military Service Memorial Foundation and a member of honorary council Vietnam Women's Memorial Project.
Major General Jeanne Marjorie Holm was a member of Executive Women in Government, Retired Officers Association andAir Force Association.
Chair advisory committee women veterans VA, Washington
,
United States
1986 - 1988
Advisory committee United States Coast Guard Academy
,
United States
1983 - 1983
Trustee Air Force Aid Society
,
United States
1988 - 1996
Personality
Holm was 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.
General Holm opened so many doors for women in the military services. Her personal magnetism, exceptional professionalism and genuine concern for the welfare of others served as a strong catalyst in gaining acceptance of military women as equals, in the predominantly male workforce.
Quotes from others about the person
"She influenced so many careers, especially mine. I met Gen Holm in 1965 when I went for an interview at the pentagon. We were in the ladies' room and she was in civilian clothes. I had no idea who she was at the time. She asked how the interview went and I told her they don't want a female for that position. Well within minutes I had the job. I was so fortunate to share time with her discussing the women in the service. She was always asking what the Air Force could do to make things better for the WAF. What a sophisticated professional. She was my hero for sure. Then in 1969, I needed a personal endorsement from someone important to come back into the Air Force as prior service, she came through again. And again in my getting an assignment to Thailand. I guess the stories could go on and on with her shattering the glass. I salute you, General Holm and future generations of women in the service will also salute you." - Dee Van Ness
"The General made a great impact on all women in the military." - Grace McMillan
Interests
Sport & Clubs
Scuba diving, Water-skiing
Connections
Jeanne M. Holm was not married and didn't have children.