On June 11, 1970, the United States military made history when Anna Mae Violet Hays and Elizabeth Hoisington were promoted to the rank of brigadier general, becoming the first female officers ever to achieve star status in the U.S. Army. Both women had served with immense distinction for 28 years, having originally stepped forward to join the military during the mobilization of World War II in 1942. Their simultaneous promotion, attended by former First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, shattered an all-male leadership tradition that had stood since the founding of the Continental Army.
The path to their historic stars required decades of navigating strict institutional limitations on women in uniform. General Hays, a decorated nurse who managed casualty care on the front lines of World War II and the Korean War, used her new rank to advocate for systemic reforms, including automatically granting pregnant officers maternity leave rather than forcing their immediate discharge. General Hoisington, who commanded the Women’s Army Corps, similarly leveraged her position to expand professional opportunities for female soldiers, paving the way for future generations of women to lead in combat commands.
