The Invisible Female Veterans:
Interview with U.S. Army MAJ Erica Courtney
The idea of the “essential women” extends from the civilian workforce into the military and veterans who have transitioned back into civilian life. In an episode of Know the Rules of the Game® Podcast for Invisible Female Veterans with host Desiree Patno, CEO & President of NAWRB, special guest Erica Courtney, President, Zulu Time, Founder, 2020vet, Inc., U.S. Army Aviation, Major NATO Gender Advisor, discussed the state of veterans and the epidemic of the “invisible female veteran,” referring to women veterans who are often overlooked and underappreciated by the society they have helped serve.
Erica Courtney: Trailblazer for Women in the Military Erica is a U.S. Army veteran having served in various positions to include: military police, scout helicopter pilot and paratrooper. As a trailblazer, she was part of the first group of women to go Cavalry and the first to graduate the Advanced Armor Cavalry Course. Erica is trailblazer for many reasons, but especially for being the first to break records and transcend the status quo for women in the military. As she shared in the podcast, Erica was the
• Youngest female to climb Mt. Whitney at nine years
• Unofficially wore ‘pants’ to earning of the spurs cer-
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old, the tallest mountain in the continental United States, until 2019; First female to hold the University of Hawaii cadet commander for the entire year; First group of women to fly the cavalry mission in the U.S. Army, which was the last airframe in any service to allow women to fly;
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emony, at the time when women could only wear skirts with the dress uniform; First woman to graduate the Advanced Cavalry Armor school; and First women to lead a long-running national veteran entrepreneurship Board of Directors.
