Who is Brenda Holsinger?
Brenda Holsinger is an American flight attendant, well known for being the late wife of US Army General Herbert Schwarzkopf. The couple met after Herbert Schwarzkopf returned from his teaching tenure at West Point as an associate professor in the Department of Mechanics.
He enrolled in and graduated from the Army’s Command and General Staff College in June 1969 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1968. They married the next year after being acquainted at a West Point football game in 1967. The couple would give birth to three children. Brenda Holsinger and Herbert Schwarzkopf lived happily together until her husband, Herbert, died on December 27, 2012, at the age of 78 of pneumonia and other complications.
What did Brenda do for a living?
As mentioned earlier, Brenda Holsinger is a flight attendant responsible for ensuring the safety and comfort of airline passengers, specifically for Trans World Airlines. From 1930 until its acquisition by American Airlines in 2001, Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a significant US airline. Originally called Transcontinental & Western Air, it was founded to run a Ford Trimotor route that connected New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other locations. It was one of the “Big Four” domestic airlines in the US, established by the Spoils Conference in 1930, with American, United, and Eastern. Regarding her career, this is all we know so far;
Children
After Brenda Holsinger and Herbert Schwarzkopf got married in 1967, they gave birth to a beautiful daughter named Cynthia in 1970, Jessica in 1972, and five years later, they gave birth to a son named Christian in 1977. Not much is known regarding Brenda Holsinger’s children as the media fails to capture details of their personal lives.
Brenda Holsinger’s late husband: Norman Schwarzkopf
Brenda Holsinger was married to General Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. (KCB) and was a member of the US Army from August 22, 1934, until December 27, 2012. He commanded all coalition troops in the Gulf War against Ba’athist Iraq while holding the position of commander of the United States Central Command.
Ruth Alice and Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Sr. are the parents of Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. His father served as a World War I veteran at the United States Military Academy in 1917. His mother was a West Virginia housewife connected to Thomas Jefferson but not very closely. Later, the elder Schwarzkopf was appointed as the New Jersey State Police’s first superintendent and led the agency’s investigation into the 1932 Lindbergh infant kidnapping case.
The younger Schwarzkopf’s birth certificate was changed to “H. Norman Schwarzkopf” in January 1952, allegedly due to his father disliking his given name. The two older sisters of the younger Schwarzkopf were Sally Joan and Ruth Ann, an activist for civil rights and against war.
Brenda Holsinger’s spouse, Herbert Schwarzkopf, was raised in the United States and Iran after being born in Trenton, New Jersey. In 1956, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Army after being admitted to the US Military Academy. Following many early training courses, Schwarzkopf left his position as an academy instructor to fight in Vietnam, initially advising the South Vietnamese Army and then leading battalions.
In Vietnam, Brenda Holsinger’s spouse, Herbert Schwarzkopf, received several decorations, including the Legion of Merit, two Purple Hearts, and three Silver Stars. After the Vietnam War, he advanced through the ranks and went on to lead the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division and participate in the 1983 invasion of Grenada as one of the commanders.
General Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf had been in combat for ten months when he was moved to a staff advising position. After completing his teaching job at West Point, he returned to the United States and enrolled in the Army’s Command and General Staff College. He married flight attendant Brenda Holsinger in 1968 after meeting in 1969. Cynthia (born in 1970), Jessica (born in 1972), and Christian (born in 1977) were the couple’s three children.
As a national hero upon his return to the United States during the Gulf War, General Schwarzkopf contemplated leaving the service in the middle of 1991. Even though he was first considered for promotions, such as Army Chief of Staff, he turned them down and didn’t seem interested in holding public office. In August 1991, he left the service and relocated to Tampa, Florida.
Schwarzkopf died on December 27, 2012, at the age of 78, as a result of pneumonia-related complications. On February 28, 2013, Schwarzkopf’s family and Colin Powell attended a memorial ceremony at the Cadet Chapel at West Point. His remains were interred in the West Point Cemetery close to his father’s grave.