FORT DRUM - The first woman to serve as the 10th Mountain Division’s deputy commanding general said her military dreams began at the age of 6. Despite her small size, Brig. Gen. Diana M. Holland told her father, a Marine, that she wanted to enlist, inspired by her grandfather’s military service. After a small warning - “The Marine Corps makes the smallest person in the platoon carry the heaviest weapon” - she said her father never discouraged her, though the Army had not yet integrated male and female soldiers.
Soon, a pullup bar would be in her room, and she and her father would go on runs together. “He was surprised, and he was supportive,” Gen. Holland said, “and it’s been that way ever since.” On Wednesday she was promoted to brigadier general, confirming her spot as the first female officer to hold the role in a light infantry unit. In addition to her unique position in division history, her role is unique in the Army. Maj. Gen. Laura Richardson was the first woman to serve as a deputy commander of a combat division when she was picked in 2012 for the role in the 1st Cavalry Division, according to the Army Times. Full Story»