Private Story
Hollyanne Milley’s Career Presses On as Her Husband’s Wraps Up
On an unseasonably warm night in February, dinner guests at Gen. Mark A. Milley’s Virginia home were wondering, a bit nervously, what could possibly be going on. General Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had been called away once, twice, three times, retreating upstairs to a secure room to consult with other top military brass. His wife, Hollyanne, was also missing.
A Chinese spy balloon had been detected over the Western United States. Soon, President Biden was on the line with General Milley, his highest-ranking military official, unbeknown to the guests downstairs. And Mrs. Milley, a nurse of nearly four decades, was busy making calls from another room upstairs, oblivious to the drama unfolding next door.
That parallel commitment to their work has persisted through the chairman’s dramatic four-year term, set to end on Saturday, during which the Milleys have navigated a global pandemic, the chaotic withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and repeated attacks from former President Donald J. Trump.
Mrs. Milley, 58, has worked almost everywhere her husband has been stationed, although she did not accompany him on deployments. A list of more than 20 stops and deployments is enshrined in their home with a stack of placards nearly as tall as the door it is next to. She is one of just a few spouses of a Joint Chiefs chairman to have maintained an accomplished career of her own. And as the chairman prepares to retire, Mrs. Milley has no intention of slowing down, with plans to return to the field as a Red Cross disaster volunteer.
Mrs. Milley is known for handing out homemade cookies to military families she meets while traveling overseas with her husband. But the reality of their past four years in Washington has often been more burdensome, and some people close to Mrs. Milley say the experience has been very hard on her at times.
The tumult of that time was not unusual for the couple. Relocation has been a constant throughout Mrs. Milley’s career, but she believes living in different places has made her a stronger nurse. Mrs. Milley is still active in groups that assist wounded veterans and their families. And she has close ties to many around the country.
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