Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Emily Bennett | 230820-N-TY704-1026 PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 20, 2023) Cmdr. Courtney Johnson, maintenance...... read more read more
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[PACIFIC OCEAN] – When Cmdr. Courtney Johnson joined the Navy in 1998, there were considerably fewer women serving in her job field (aviation maintenance) than there are today. Even though the ratio since shifted, she still blazes the trail for women in that field.
Johnson is the first woman on Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) to serve as the Maintenance Officer (MO). This watershed moment wasn’t the first time she’s broken barriers in a field traditionally dominated by men. That started with the “Golden Warriors” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 87.
“At VFA-87 I was the first woman MMCO [maintenance/material control officer] and that was very challenging, especially in the strike fighting community,” said Johnson. “I think that was more challenging than coming here.”
Johnson attributes an easier transition into her role as Vinson’s Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD) department head to having other women peers. It’s important to note that Vinson currently has three women serving as department heads out of 20 total and Johnson’s assistant maintenance officer (AMO), Lt. Cmdr. Amy Ellison, is also a woman. Her pool isn’t exactly large, but after coming from a command where she was the only senior woman leader, Johnson feels it’s a welcome change.
“Every job has its challenges,” said Johnson. “But I feel blessed to be the Carl Vinson MO.”
The ground-breaking didn’t stop there. With Johnson as the MO and Ellison as the AMO, this marks the first time in U.S. Navy history that an aircraft carrier has both positions filled by women.
“It’s pretty cool that her and I are making history for women,” said Ellison. “I just hope that shows it doesn’t matter what your gender is, anyone with the right ambition and drive can do the job.”
Johnson’s drive and ambition aren’t her only defining qualities, and neither is her being the first woman MO aboard Vinson. Johnson is a woman who didn’t let being a leader in a field dominated by men diminish her openness and kindness.
Pictures of her family and figurines of Wonder Woman line the walls of her office. For one of her Sailor’s birthdays, she participated in a Zumba class with her entire department. She has an open-door policy that her Sailors truly believe and trust.
“She is the best maintenance officer I’ve ever had. She cares about her Sailors,” said Aviation Support Equipment Technician 1st Class Shamara James, AIMD’s leading petty officer. “Anybody can come to her at any time for any reason and she listens to them. That’s who she is: a genuine person.”
Johnson started her career as an enlisted airman and this month marks 25 years of her service. Her family planned for her to go to college and become a doctor, but she had no desire for that walk of life.
“I went off the beaten path,” said Johnson. “I graduated high school a year early and I wanted to join the military.”
After high school, her parents refused to sign her waiver and let her join the military before turning 18, but that didn’t stop her. She waited until she became of age and enlisted in the Navy.
Only four years before, in 1994, were women allowed to serve aboard combatant ships. Around this time, less than 15 percent of women were in the Navy, most of which were in administration, health care, and supply. Where did this passion come from in such a young woman during the 1990s?
The answer lies in the letters that Johnson’s grandfather wrote to her grandmother during his time as a prisoner of war.
“The things he said made me want to join the military even more,” said Johnson. “I knew that I wanted to take the same path as my grandfather.”
Her path wasn’t quite the same as her grandfather, but there are a couple similarities: they both joined enlisted then commissioned as officers and they both worked with planes. Her grandfather flew in them, and she’s in charge of maintaining them. In a way, she is protecting pilots like her grandfather by making sure their jets fly properly.
Because of this, Johnson believes in a Sailor-first leadership style that reflects in her department.
“AIMD is a family-oriented department,” said Johnson. “I have an amazing department, and that’s because of the people we work with every day.”
Johnson’s leadership style brought something to AIMD that some feel wasn’t there before.
“She’s very caring, and wants to make sure that every one of her Sailors is taken care of,” said Ellison.
Her genuine care was fostered from Johnson’s time as an enlisted Sailor.
“When I was an airman, I always said that if I ever made it up this high, I was going to be the leader that I would’ve wanted when I was that airman,” said Johnson.
When asked what kind of legacy she wants to leave as Vinson’s first woman MO, her answer is this: “I don’t want to just be remembered as the first woman MO onboard the USS Carl Vinson, I want to be the person that helps even just one Sailor. I want to be the person that changes someone’s life for the better.”
Johnson is a native of Wallis, Texas and a 1996 graduate of Brazos High School.
| Date Taken: | 08.20.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2023 03:11 |
| Story ID: | 451853 |
| Location: | PACIFIC OCEAN |
| Web Views: | 1,088 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Meet Carl Vinson’s First Woman Maintenance Officer, by PO2 Emily Bennett, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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