Fern Leona Holland (August 5, 1970 – March 9, 2004) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

who was killed in the

Iraq conflict The Iraqi conflict is a series of violent events that began with the 2003 American-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, invasion of Iraq and deposition of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, followed by a series of conflicts including the protracted Iraq War ...

that began in 2003. Holland died on March 9, 2004, while working for the

Coalition Provisional Authority The Coalition Provisional Authority (; , CPA) was a Provisional government, transitional government of Iraq established following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, invasion of the country on 19 March 2003 by Multi-National Force – Iraq, U.S.-led Co ...

(CPA) in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Professional work

Holland was born in

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

in 1970. After birth she lived in Bluejacket, Oklahoma, which is a small town between Vinita and

Miami, Oklahoma Miami ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1891. Lead and zinc mining were established by 1918, causing the area's economy to boom. This area was part of Indian Territory. Miami is the capit ...

. In 1992, she graduated from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

. In 1996, she graduated from the

University of Tulsa College of Law The University of Tulsa College of Law is the law school of the private University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For 2023, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked the University of Tulsa College of Law at No. 111 among all law schools in the United S ...

. After graduation, she worked at two law firms in

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

before joining the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

and traveling to

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

. In July 2003, Fern was hired by the

United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 1961 and reorganized in 1998 ...

(USAID) to investigate human rights abuses under

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

's regime. She was part of that agency’s Abuse Prevention Unit, whose purpose is to protect victims of abuse occurring during times of war or conflict. At the conclusion of her tour with USAID, she was retained by the Coalition Provisional Authority to help Iraqis establish a democratic form of government.

Death

Holland, American press officer and former Marine Corps lieutenant colonel Robert J. Zangas, and their Iraqi translator Salwa Ourmashi were shot in their car on a road near

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

on March 9, 2004. Their killers wore Iraqi police uniforms. According to reports, she and Zangas were the first American civilians working for the CPA to be killed in Iraq, ''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazi ...

'' reported that she was intentionally targeted for murder by those threatened by her empowerment of women; the interviews also reflect that for many CPA staff this was a turning point in the war when Western civilians could no longer travel without guns. In 2006, the ''New York Times'' reported that federal investigators are investigating what happened to hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash issued by American authorities to Ms. Holland and Robert Zangas. American investigators are trying to determine whether that money was stolen as part of a web of bribery, kickbacks, theft and conspiracy that they have laid out in a series of indictments and court papers. No suspicion for the missing money has fallen on Ms. Holland or Mr. Zangas. Investigators tracing the flow of the cash to Ms. Holland and Mr. Zangas are looking at the possibility that others took advantage of the deaths to steal additional money.

Legacy

The novel '' Florence of Arabia'' by Christopher Buckley includes an homage to Holland in its acknowledgments. In 2005, Holland was named Oklahoman of the Year. The Fern L. Holland Award, sponsored by the University of Oklahoma Student Affairs and Delta Gamma Fraternity (of which Fern was a member), is a $1,000 annual cash award recognizing a full-time undergraduate woman enrolled in the University of Oklahoma acting in the spirit of Fern Holland: a desire to make a significant difference in the world in areas such as democracy, human rights, women’s issues or leadership. Since 2004 Vital Voices Global Partnership has annually given the Fern Holland Award in tribute to Fern's legacy. The award honors a leader who braves risks to promote peace and defend the human rights of a targeted or vulnerable community. In 2019, U.S. Representative Seth Moulton established the Fern Holland Fellowship. This first-of-its-kind program seeks to diversify the foreign policy community and is awarded to three Pell Grant eligible entry-level professionals annually. Fellows receive an in-depth look into a career of public service and advise Representative Moulton and his foreign policy staff on key issues.https://moulton.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/moulton.house.gov/files/2023-05/Fern-Holland-International-Affairs-Fellowship-Description.pdf

References

External links

Fern Holland Charitable Trust

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, Fern 1970 births 2004 deaths Women in the Iraq War Oklahoma lawyers Civilian casualties in the Iraq War 21st-century American lawyers University of Oklahoma alumni University of Tulsa College of Law alumni 20th-century American lawyers People from Craig County, Oklahoma 20th-century American women lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers