Today we say goodbye to Loretta Swit, our one-and-only Major Margaret Houlihan. She took the character that started out as "Hot Lips" and turned her into Margaret, elevating her from a bawdy sex joke into a woman all her own: strong, capable, self-assured and self-reliant, a character whose whole identity no longer relied on a man or the men around her, those she had pursued romantically or otherwise. A woman dedicated to her work, to being an Army nurse, an Army major, and a woman who refused to let herself be outclassed or outnumbered by the men who surrounded her. In a sense, Margaret Houlihan was Katharine Hepburn in Army fatigues. Only one of four people to last from season 1 to season 11 - the others being Alan Alda, Jamie Farr, and William Christopher - Loretta Swit brought great depth to the role of Margaret Houlihan, not to mention passion and love, and for her work, she won two Emmy's for portraying Margaret (for the episodes "Are You Now, Margaret?" and "The Birthday Girls"). No doubt Margaret played a large role in the lives of many as the show aired, and no doubt she played a large role in countless others during reruns, and a large role in our own, here. To see the love an actor has for the role they play, the character they breathe life into, it will always leave an indelible impression, and there is again no doubt Loretta Swit left behind an incredible legacy during her 11-year tenure as Major Margaret Houlihan. To Loretta, to Margaret, we salute you, and we thank you, for everything. May you rest in peace.
