Jeanne M . Holm Major General Jeanne Marjorie Holm ( June 23 , 1921 – February 15 , 2010 ) was the first female one - star general of the United States Air Force and the first female two - star general in any service branch of the United States . Holm was a driving force behind the expansion of women ' s roles in the Air Force . Early career . Holm was born on June 23 , 1921 , in Portland , Oregon . She enlisted in the Army in July 1942 , soon after the Women ' s Army Auxiliary Corps ( WAAC ) 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 of Second Lieutenant . World War II . During World War II , Holm was assigned to the Women ' s Army Corps Training Center at Fort Oglethorpe , Georgia , 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 , West Virginia . 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 Blockade , Holm was recalled to active duty with the Army and went to Camp Lee in Virginia , as a company commander within the Women ' s Army Corps Training Center . 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 . Cold War . Holm returned from overseas in 1952 and became the first woman to attend the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery , Alabama . She was then assigned to Headquarters U . S . Air Force in Washington , DC , 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 . WAF . In November 1965 Holm was appointed director of Women in the Air Force ( WAF ) , in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff , Personnel . Her appointment was extended twice , making her the longest - serving WAF director . 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 was an active proponent 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 . Historian Walter J . Boyne acknowledged her " enormous influence on the role of women in the Air Force " . For her exceptionally meritorious service in this assignment , she was awarded the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal . Air Force leadership . Holm 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 was the first woman in the Armed Forces to serve in that grade . On March 1 , 1973 Holm was appointed director of the Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council . In this position , she was responsible for administration of the council and functioning of its boards and served as president of : the Air Force Discharge Review Board , Personnel Board , Board of Review , Physical Disability Appeal Board , Decorations Board and the Disability Review Board . Holm retired from the Air Force in 1975 . White House . After retiring , Holm consulted for the Defense Manpower Commission . In March , 1976 Holm was named special assistant to President Gerald Ford for the Office of Women ' s Programs . Holm 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 . Ford 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 . Males favored Jimmy Carter just enough to give him 50 . 1 % of the popular vote . Awards and recognition . Holm was a member of the Board of Trustees , Air Force Historical Foundation ; member of the Board of Directors of Camp Fire Girls ; 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 . In 2003 , the Air Force Association conferred upon her their Lifetime Achievement Award . Holm was inducted into the International Women in Aviation Hall of Fame in 2006 . A section of Air University was reorganized in 2008 and renamed the Jeanne M . Holm Officer Accession and Citizen Development Center . Author . Holm wrote two books about women in the military , beginning with " Women in the Military : An Unfinished Revolution " in 1982 . Holm updated the book in 1992 – 1994 , filling in American women ' s combat and military experiences in the invasions of Grenada , Panama and in the Gulf War . In 1998 , Holm published a history of American women serving in World War II , entitled " In Defense of a Nation : Servicewomen in World War II " , summarizing the experiences of women serving all of the military arms . In 2003 Holm assisted author Linda Witt in her writing of the book " A Defense Weapon Known to be of Value : Servicewomen of the Korean War Era " , published in 2005 . Holm described for Witt the history of the WAF in the early 1950s and the trials women experienced as they made their way through the male - dominated military . Personal life . 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 . On February 15 , 2010 in Annapolis , Maryland , Holm died from pneumonia in both lungs . She was survived by her companion , Lieutenant Colonel and Doctor Norma Loeser , ( ret . USAF ) , and family members such as a brother , nephews , and nieces , including Kalynne Holm who worked with photos from the Jimmy Doolittle collection in 2006 for the Air Force Academy Library . Funeral services for Holm were conducted at Arlington National Cemetery on March 29 , 2010 , with full military honors .