A successful soldier who once won the ‘Soldier of the Year’ award for her leadership and achievements, kept a big secret throughout her military career.
Karen Holmes enlisted in the Maryland Defense Force in 2011 as a corporal. In the five years that followed, she rose through the ranks and won coveted awards.
But for almost five years, Holmes kept her big secret secret: she was transgender.
When she joined the police force, the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy had just been abolished, and she worried about how others would perceive the truth.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” passed in 1994 under the Clinton administration, banned LGBTQ soldiers from openly expressing their identities to their comrades, potentially resulting in dismissal.
A successful military man who once won the ‘Soldier of the Year’ award for her leadership and achievements, kept a big secret during her military career
Karen Holmes enlisted in the Maryland Defense Force as a corporal in 2011 and over the next five years rose through the ranks, earning coveted awards
Holmes, who joined the force just two months after the policy was rescinded, said that “the transition period in the years that followed while he served … was challenging.”
At the time, she didn’t know how the other soldiers would react to her transgender identity and was afraid she would come out.
“I just didn’t know what the reaction would be,” she said WTOP.
“I kept it very secret.”
In 2001, Holmes began working for Americorps, a government agency that provides volunteer opportunities to people in difficult situations across the country.
Her impressive work for the organization caught the attention of the Maryland Defense Force, which recruited her to serve at a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) rodeo.
Early in the onboarding process, however, Holmes feared that recruiters would discover she was transgender.
“After I transitioned — having to hide who you are — I was afraid someone would see me,” she revealed to WTOP.
But for almost half a decade, Holmes kept quiet about her big secret: she was transgender
‘What if someone knew I was transgender?’
Fortunately, she was able to get a medical examination by her doctor and show her passport, which showed the name she had changed since birth.
After Harris was hired into the state force, she began her career as a lowly corporal. However, she quickly rose through the ranks and gained admiration from the other soldiers, who had no idea she was transgender.
During her time with the organization, she joined the Color Guard team and led several teams, whose members followed her orders.
Holmes’ outstanding performance caught the attention of the Maryland State Guard Association, which named her NCO Soldier of the Year.
In 2013, Holmes received national recognition and was honored as “Solider of the Year” by the State Guard Association of the United States.
At the time of the presentation, Brigadier General Brian R. Kelm said, “Sgt. Holmes perseveres in her attempts to complete a mission despite all obstacles. She is very deserving of this honor and she continues to impress us.”
“What if someone knew I was transgender?” asked Holmes
Holmes said her success prompted many female soldiers to approach her and thank her for representing them on the national stage.
“The response I heard with both awards was that the female soldiers came up to me and said, ‘Great job, you’re doing it for us,’ and I said to myself, ‘Yes,’ because that’s in my mind, heart and spirit.”
She continued: ‘But I also do it for the transgender community, but I can’t talk about that because they didn’t want us there.’
By the time Holmes retired from the police force in 2017, she was a staff sergeant.
During a televised interview with Baltimore’s ABC-TV station, Holmes spoke about transgender people serving in the military. At that point, everyone in her command found out she was transgender.
In 2013, Holmes received national recognition and was honored as ‘Soldier of the Year’ by the State Guard Association of the United States
Holmes said the show’s producers had contacted the National Guard, which is supported by the Maryland Defense Force, for comment.
She said her fellow soldiers responded only with support.
Holmes added: “We always have each other’s backs. That’s someone you would consider a battle buddy. There’s someone there who’s going to look out for you.”
After retiring from law enforcement, Holmes joined the Veterans Reserve Corps, where she served as Chief Warrant Officer.
