10th Mountain Division welcomes first female general

Posted 2015-07-29 12:55 by Grunt Report with 0 comments

Col. Diana Holland couldn’t believe her ears when she learned she had been selected to serve as a deputy commanding general at the storied 10th Mountain Division.

“I was floored, honestly,” she said. “I was not expecting that at all. In fact, I had to hear it twice to make sure that I hadn’t misunderstood.”

On Wednesday, Holland will be promoted to brigadier general and become, officially, the 10th Mountain Division’s deputy commanding general for support.

She will be the first female general officer at Fort Drum, New York, and the first woman to serve as a deputy commanding general in one of the Army’s light infantry divisions. Now-Maj. Gen. Laura Richardson was the first woman to serve as a deputy commanding general in a combat division; she was selected in 2012 to be part of the leadership team for the 1st Cavalry Division.

Holland, who is a career engineer officer, said she is grateful for the opportunity.

“I think it’s a reminder that, really, the sky is the limit, no matter who you are,” she said in an interview Monday with Army Times. “What other profession do you draw Americans from all walks of life, from all corners of the country, of all backgrounds, any demographic, and you get to compete equally?”

Personally, Holland said she has always relied on what her father, a Marine, taught her.

“You work hard, you do the right thing and you treat people well,” she said. “I think it’s important that each of us defines what success is. To me, it was always to have a positive impact everywhere you go, and everything will turn out fine. If that means retirement at 20 [years], or if that means getting to be a deputy commanding general at Fort Drum, then you’re happy and satisfied and fulfilled no matter what occurs.”

Holland, a 1990 U.S. Military Academy graduate who has been on the ground at Fort Drum since May 4, said she knew from a young age that she wanted to join the Army. What she didn’t expect was to make it this far.

“I did think I’d make it a career, but I did not foresee this,” she said. “I really never saw past lieutenant colonel [at] 20 years until I was pretty much upon that.”

Her career has included assignments in Germany, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Stewart, Georgia. Holland also taught at the U.S. Military Academy and attended the Army Command and General Staff College and the School of Advanced Military Studies.

In 2004, she was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division and soon deployed to Iraq. There she served as a plans officer before moving to be the operations officer for the 92nd Engineer Battalion.

After Iraq, Holland served an assignment with U.S. Central Command before returning to Fort Stewart to command the 92nd, nicknamed the Black Diamonds.