Elizabeth Paschel Hoisington
1918 - 2007
Retired Brigadier General Elizabeth Paschel Hoisington, seventh director of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), and one of the first two female Army generals, died Aug. 21, 2007. She had been in declining health for some time.Elizabeth Hoisington was born in Newton, Kansas. Her father was a West Point graduate and a career Army officer; the family traveled to military posts throughout the United States. She graduated from The College of Notre Dame of Maryland in 1941 with a major in chemistry. She enlisted in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) in October 1942. Following basic training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, she was assigned to the aircraft warning service in Bangor, Maine. Her leadership potential was recognized quickly and she was promoted from auxiliary (private) directly to first sergeant. She always said this was the “greatest promotion” in her long Army career. She was commissioned in May 1943 after completing officer candidate school, also at Fort Des Moines. In August 1944 Lieutenant Hoisington was one of six Wacs in an advance party who arrived in Paris, France to make arrangements for the thousands of Wacs who were to follow. They were later cited for their efficiency being awarded the Bronze Star Medal for service. When President Roosevelt died in April 1945, then-Captain Hoisington attended the moving memorial service in the President’s memory at the Notre Dame Cathedral. In celebration of V-E Day, she was one of about two thousand Wacs who participated in the allied forces parade down the Champs Elysees. In July she was in charge of the contingent of Wacs assisting at the “Big Three” conference in Potsdam (Germany) attended by President Truman, Prime Minister Churchill, and Communist Party General Secretary Stalin.
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Over the next twenty years she held command positions in France, Germany, Japan, and at Fort Monroe, Virginia. She served as commander of WAC Center and commandant of the WAC School at Fort McClellan, Alabama. In addition she served in a variety of staff jobs in the Pentagon; at Headquarters, Sixth Army (San Francisco, California); and, at Headquarters, European Command (then in Paris).
General William C. Westmoreland, the Army chief of staff, selected Hoisington to be the seventh director of the Women’s Army Corps, replacing Colonel Emily |
WAC Cpt. Elizabeth Hoisington gives final instructions to telephone operators, Pfc. Guadalupe Torres & Pfc. Frances Gribble, at Potsdam Conference, July 16, 1945 Photo courtesy Harry S. Truman Library & Museum (www.trumanlibrary.org) |
Gorman. She served as director from 1966 to 1971. She traveled widely, including a fall 1967 visit to WAC units and personnel in South Vietnam.
In 1970 Colonel Hoisington and Colonel Anna Mae Hays, director of the Army Nurse Corps, were selected to become the first female Army general officers. Both were promoted on June 11th. A number of articles reported on the new generals. An interview in The Los Angeles Times noted her dedication: “…the Army is really my first love and my biggest hobby. I’ve devoted every waking minute to the Army – because I’ve enjoyed it.” Asked about opportunities she replied: “I think it’s a great opportunity for any woman.”
During her tenure women officers were selected for the first time, other than as the Corps’ director, for promotion to full colonel; WAC officers began to be selected to attend senior service colleges; the WAC student officer program was initiated; and, WAC strength was increased by several thousand. At the same time, General Hoisington was very disturbed by the Army’s decision to reduce special standards for women to allow enlistment and retention waivers in case of pregnancy, parenthood and other previously disqualifying conditions.
General Hoisington retired in 1971. She remained supportive of Army women, and was active in supporting the U.S. Army Women’s Museum, U.S. Army Women’s Foundation, and their predecessor organizations. She served as a Board member with several other military organizations, to include the Fort Des Moines Museum and the Virginia Military Institute. A strong advocate of women’s education, she also remained active in her college alumnae program. Norwich University in Vermont annually presents the Brigadier General Elizabeth P. Hoisington Award to the top senior female R.O.T.C. cadet seeking a commission. She was a frequent speaker at military and veteran oriented events. While she was supportive of Army women, she believed that women were not suited for combat and opposed the entry of women into the military academies.
Although extremely frail in later years, she attended Army women’s events whenever possible. At the annual Army women’s holiday luncheon at Fort Myer, Virginia. in December 2006 she gathered her strength to speak briefly, using her well known command voice, telling the women that we were all her friends and to keep on getting together. She truly lived the motto “service together, friends forever.”
General Hoisington is survived by her sister, Nancy Smith, a brother, retired Lieutenant Colonel Robert Hoisington, and many nieces and nephews. One sister and two brothers predeceased her.
She will be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Services will begin with a funeral mass at the Old Post Chapel, Fort Myer on Wednesday, Nov. 7th at 12:45 PM; interment follows at 1:45 PM. |
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