General Willard

Brigadier General Thomas Willard oversaw Yule Team until recently. He was the commanding officer of Holly, Oak, Camellia, and Evergreen.

General Willard has mentored Holly and Oak for many years, having served with their family members at some point in the past. He and Holly have always gotten along exceptionally well. General Willard hand-picked each member of Yule Team.

Willard has always seemed like the perfect supervisor for Holly. He accommodated Holly's autism on bad days, helping her continue working instead of having to take a medical discharge. Although he oversees hundreds or thousands of other Marines, Willard always does his best to ensure everyone under his watch is in the best condition possible.

Willard is arrogant, unfaithful, and possibly a rapist, but he's an excellent supervisor and father, and he always keeps his word. Until 2016, he had an outstanding military record.

Season One
General Willard calls Holly's cell phone at the end of Transmission 3. He tells her they need to talk, then says not to hang up—"It's about Oak."

In Transmission 4, he finally gives her some answers about Oak... and about her situation.

Season Two
Willard reaches out to Holly repeatedly via voicemail, begging her to come in for questioning, then begging her to please get help so she doesn't die in childbirth. He places his own career in jeopardy to ensure that Camellia can fly out and deliver Ivy without the military bothering Holly, even though she's wanted for questioning in Oak's disappearance. He seems as possessive as he is distraught, telling Holly in a threatening voice, "I'm your fucking shield! I'm protecting you." He's initially angry that she won't pick up the phone and that she thinks he's trying to hurt her when he's throwing away his career for her. Later, he just seems frightened for her safety, swearing on his daughter's life that no one will find her if she just goes to the ER or calls 911. Holly finally believes him, stating that she doesn't know how she feels about him, but he does always keep his promises.

Willard visits Holly sometime between Transmission 8 and Transmission 9 to deliver her military discharge papers and see Ivy. He shows Holly footage of Oak cleaning out their joint bank accounts and promises Holly he'll support her and Ivy.

Early Life and Military
Willard attended military college, where he met his wife. He served in an unknown capacity with one of Holly's parents and at least one of Oak's family members, and he mentored the Ellisons when they were interested in going to OCS after college.

Willard was recently promoted to General. However, his rank and even his career are currently in jeopardy due to his helping Holly and Ivy.

Personal Life
Willard and his wife have been having marriage difficulties for several years. They were separated for roughly two years, but they managed to reconcile during mid-2016 due to Willard's impending promotion from Colonel to General.

Special Interests

 * Politics
 * Lord of the Rings
 * History (esp. military history)
 * Craft beer
 * Complicated tabletop games
 * Marathons
 * Classic ("good") sci fi
 * Dogs

Ashley
Thomas and Ashley met young and married only slightly less young. There's still a lot of love between them, but they don't make each other happy anymore. Thomas doesn't respect Ashley or view her as intelligent enough to keep up in their conversations, which is one of his biggest turn-offs. Subsequently, he and Ashley are considering divorce, but they are trying to make it work one last time.