WASHINGTON — For the first time in its history, the Army has installed a female officer as the commandant of cadets at the U.S. Military Academy, or USMA, at West Point, New York.
Brig. Gen. Diana M. Holland, herself a 1990 graduate of the school, assumed the role of commandant of cadets during a ceremony there, Jan. 5. She is the 76th officer to hold the position.
Last year, when the announcement was made that Holland would assume the role, acting Army Secretary Eric K. Fanning said the officer was well-suited for the position.
“Diana’s operational and command experiences will bring a new and diverse perspective to West Point’s leadership team,” Fanning said. “She is absolutely the right person for this critical position.”
Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr., the academy’s superintendent, said Holland is “immensely qualified” for the position, which has a tremendous impact on the development of future Army officers.
“The commandant of cadets has such a significant role in our mission to train, educate and inspire leaders of character for service to the nation as Army officers, as they prepare to fight in America’s wars,” Caslen said. “The commandant is the ‘M’ in military in the United States Military Academy.”
He said the job carries with it the burden of responsibility for the military, physical, character and social development of more than 4,400 cadets.
Caslen said he felt that Holland’s past performance in the Army demonstrates her suitability for leading so many young Americans in their training and development as Army officers.
“[She] has a phenomenal reputation throughout the Army,” he said. “The Corps of Cadets is getting a great commander and an outstanding leader.”
In the 1990 “Howitzer,” the USMA yearbook, an entry for Holland, written by one of her peers, came near to predicting her assumption of the role of commandant. Caslen read that entry to show just how close to true the prediction came.
“We knew Diana was destined for greatness when she won the drill off in Beast,” Caslen read. “And now she is charge of the regimental drill. Look for her 5’1″ frame in her pickup truck back at West Point in a few years as a history [professor] and many years later as the [superintendent].”
Caslen pointed out that Holland does still drive a pickup truck, that she had returned to the school in 1999 to serve as a history instructor, and that she was now assuming the role as commandant.
“There is still some time for that Howitzer prophecy of one day becoming a superintendent – so it may just come true,” he said.
