Two women from Franklin, Massachusetts have officially made U.S. military history after becoming the first sisters to both attain a general’s rank in the army, CNN reported.
Maj. Gen. Maria Barrett and her younger sister Brig. Gen. Paula Lodi are believed to be the first pair of sisters to achieve this honor in the service’s 244-year history.
Both women have proven to be incredibly accomplished in their respective military fields.
Barrett, now a two-star general, first joined the military as a way of paying for school, but soon discovered her love for the armed forces.
Now she leads the Army Network Enterprise Technology Command, while her sister Lodi is the the deputy chief of staff for operations in the office of the Army’s surgeon general.
Acting Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy had nothing but praise for the sisters following their ranking to general.
“Maj. Gen. Maria Barrett and Brig. Gen. Paula Lodi represent the best America has to offer,” he said. “However, this comes as no surprise to those who have known them and loved them throughout this extraordinary journey. This is a proud moment for their families and for the Army.”
The Army has seen plenty of generals who were brothers but believe this is the first time two sisters have both achieved the ranking.
Women were first allowed to join the service in 1901 with the establishment of the Army Nursing Corps. Prior to that, they were only able to serve unofficially.
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In 2015 the Pentagon made all military combat roles available to women. Since then, more than a dozen women have graduated from the Army’s Ranger School.
Lodi said she believes she and her sister have made a poignant statement on the topic of women in the military.
“The fact that we’re sisters, not brothers, I think it’s a huge illustration of how far we’ve come as a service,” she said.
And it the women’s achievement may soon prove to be a family tradition, as an Army spokesperson confirmed to CNN that Lodi has two daughters currently enlisted in the Army: “She just drove one of them to basic training.”
h/t: CNN
