Elizabeth Paschel Hoisington (November 3, 1918 – August 21, 2007) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

officer who was one of the first two women to attain the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Early life

Born in Newton, Kansas, on November 3, 1918, Elizabeth Hoisington was a 1940 graduate of the

College of Notre Dame of Maryland Notre Dame of Maryland University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Baltimore, Maryland. NDMU offers certificate, undergraduate, and graduate programs for women and men. History The Roman Catholic academic ...

Military career

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

the

expanded opportunities for women beyond nursing by creating the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). Hoisington enlisted in the WAACs in November 1942 and completed her

basic training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique dema ...

at Fort Des Moines,

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

. At the time, women were required to serve in units before they could apply to

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country. How OCS is run differs between countries and services. Ty ...

(OCS), so Private Hoisington went to a WAAC aircraft early warning unit in Bangor, Maine. The company commander recognized her talents and made her the first sergeant soon after her arrival. She later said that she then sought out the most grizzled male first sergeant she could find and asked him to teach her what she needed to know. She said that he did such a good job that when she reached OCS she never had to open a book. Hoisington was commissioned in May 1943 as a WAAC third officer. When the auxiliary became the Women's Army Corps (WAC) a month later, its officers changed to standard army ranks, and Hoisington became a second lieutenant. She deployed to Europe, serving in France after D-Day. Hoisington continued her career after World War II and advanced through the ranks to colonel as she commanded WAC units in Japan, Germany, and France and served in staff assignments in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

and at

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a meton ...

. Hoisington was appointed the seventh director of the Women's Army Corps on August 1, 1965, and served from 1966 to 1971. As director during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

she visited WACs serving in Saigon and Long Binh in September, 1967. According to some sources, Hoisington discouraged sending army women to Vietnam because she believed the controversy would deter progress in expanding the overall role of women in the army. EPH in Vietnam 1

On May 15, 1970, President Nixon announced the first women selected for promotion to brigadier general:

Anna Mae Hays Anna Mae Violet Hays ( McCabe; February 16, 1920 – January 7, 2018) was an American military officer who served as the 13th chief of the United States Army Nurse Corps. She was the first woman in the United States Armed Forces to be promoted to ...

, Chief of the Army Nurse Corps, and Hoisington. The two women were promoted on June 11. Hays and Hoisington were promoted within minutes of each other. Because they were promoted in alphabetical order, Hays was the first woman in the United States Armed Forces to wear the insignia of a brigadier general. The Hoisington and Hays promotions resulted in positive public relations for the army, including appearances on the Dick Cavett, David Frost and ''Today'' shows. Hoisington, who was noted for her quick smile and ebullient personality, also appeared as a mystery guest on the popular game show ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

Hoisington retired from the army on August 1, 1971. Hoisington_Retirement

Family

Hoisington's grandfather, Colonel Perry Milo Hoisington I, helped to organize the

Kansas National Guard The Kansas National Guard, is the component of the United States National Guard in the U.S. state of Kansas. It comprises both the Kansas Army National Guard and the Kansas Air National Guard. The Governor of Kansas is Commander-in-Chief of the K ...

. Her father, Gregory Hoisington, was a graduate of

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

and a colonel in the army. He was a direct descendant of Ebenezer Hoisington, a founder of the state of

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

and a soldier in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. Hoisington's brother, Perry Hoisington II, was a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

general. Elizabeth Hoisington's 1970 promotion made them the first brother and sister generals in the United States military.

Death and burial

Hoisington died in

Springfield, Virginia Springfield is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The Springfield CDP is recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau with a population of 30,484 as of the 2010 census. Homes and businesses in bordering CDPs includ ...

, on August 21, 2007, at the age of 88. She is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. She was survived by a younger brother, Robert (d. 2020), and a sister, Nancy (d. 2012).

Decorations

References

External links

"Marching on – Three Generations of Army Women" by Lt. Col. Randy Pullen
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20051119163942/http://www.awm.lee.army.mil/ArmyWomen_SigDates/history_of_army_women-C.htm History of Army Women: Significant Dates (1966–1975)br>Timeline Dates for Women in the Military Officially
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20050316052119/http://www.womensmemorial.org/historyandcollections/history/lrnmrevietnam.htm Women in the United States Military History: In Vietnambr>Washington Post obituary – source: The American Family Hoisington, by Harry Hoisington, 1934
* ttp://www.army.mil/women/ Women in the U.S. Army* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoisington, Elizabeth P. 1918 births 2007 deaths People from Newton, Kansas Notre Dame of Maryland University alumni Female generals of the United States Army Women's Army Corps soldiers United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War American female military personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Women in warfare post-1945 21st-century American women