Sisters make U.S. Army history after both become generals

(Image credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

published 9 September 2019

Maj. Gen. Maria Barrett and Brig. Gen. Paula Lodi made U.S. Army history this summer, as they became the first pair of sisters to ever become generals.

Barrett said they reached this milestone due to "hard work" and "strong leadership skills," telling The Washington Post that it was a "very tough bar in and of itself for both of us to make it." The Council on Foreign Relations says roughly 16 percent of the 1.3 million active-duty service members are women.

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Through the Army, the sisters have been able to travel the world, and Barrett met her husband. As their story has been shared, Barrett and Lodi have been approached by women who say they look up to them and their ability to make their mark in a male-dominated field. Some also ask for advice on how to balance a family with being in the military, and Lodi, a mother of two, tells them "I think if you are blessed to find something that you love doing and then to have an incredibly supportive family, you tend to figure it out."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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