Run it like a girl with Erica Oliver, Combat Engineer, Department of National Defence

Run it Like a Girl

Please note: In the episode we talk about Erica being the first woman from the ranks to become a combat diver. Erica was unaware at the time that another woman (Misty Shearer) received her combat diver coin first. Erica and Misty connected and it was a good news story. We also featured Misty on our podcast! Be sure to check her out.
Erica Oliver has been in the Canadian forces for over 20 years and tells us that it wasn’t she who chose the military, but rather the military that chose her. Erica joined the regular forces with the sole goal of becoming a combat diver, which took her six years to accomplish….six years, she says, of being told that there was no way she could do it.
Erica talks about her 4 international deployments including two to Afghanistan, and says the military does an excellent job of preparing its troops for the physical demands of a war zone. She says the mental demands, however, are almost impossible to prepare for.