Jeanne Holm Biography

Jeanne Holm was born in 1921 in Portland, Oregon. In July 1942, she enlisted in the newly established Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). After attending Officer Candidate School, she received the WAAC rank equivalent to second lieutenant. After serving as a training commander during World War II, Lt. Holm left the military and attended Lewis and Clark College. In 1948, Holm was called back to active duty and was transferred to the U.S. Air Force. In 1952, she became the first woman to attend the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, where she became an officer of personnel plans and programs. Holm went on to earn the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Service Medal, and became the first woman to be appointed to the grade of brigadier general in the air force, ultimately rising to major general. In 2003, General Holm was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Air Force Association.

The Air Force recognized General Holm's proven leadership by naming its principal officer development program the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development, which has the following mission statement: "Develop the best air force leaders and citizens of character, dedicated to serving the nation."