Claudia Joy Holden

Claudia Joy Holden
Army Wives character
Claudia Joy Holden as portrayed by Kim Delaney
First appearance	"A Tribe is Born" (episode 1.01)
Portrayed by	Kim Delaney
Information
Aliases	Claudia Joy Meade (birth name)
Gender	Female
Occupation	Current: Associate attorney
Spouse(s)	Michael James Holden
Children	Amanda Joy Holden (daughter, with Michael; deceased) Emmalin Jane Holden (daughter, with Michael)
Relatives	Sara Elizabeth Burton (goddaughter) Molly Victoria Sherwood (goddaughter)

Claudia Joy Holden (née Meade) is a fictional character on the Lifetime television series Army Wives, portrayed by Kim Delaney.

Personal life

Claudia Joy has been married to Major General Michael Holden for the past twenty years. They met while studying at Harvard University. The family lives at Fort Marshall in South Carolina. They have two daughters, Amanda Joy and Emmalin Jane Holden. Amanda was killed in a bombing that took place at the Hump Bar in the finale of the first season. In Season 2, Claudia Joy and Emmalin remain at Fort Marshall while Michael accepts a NATO post in Brussels. In Season 3, her husband is promoted to Major General and returns to Fort Marshall.

It is revealed in Season 1 that Claudia Joy abandoned her pursuit of a law degree after marrying Michael. In Season 4 she returned to school to complete her degree and eventually ended up getting a job at a Charleston law firm run by her former law professor, Grant Chandler (Harry Hamlin). In Season 5, it is revealed that Claudia Joy has an ovarian cyst but it turns out to be non-cancerous. Claudia Joy quits her job at Grant Chandler's law firm after he reveals that he harbors romantic feelings for her.

Claudia Joy and Michael are the god parents of Joan and Roland Burton's daughter, Sara Elizabeth, plus Denise and Frank Sherwood's daughter Molly.