Lt. Col. Erika A. Holownia is the commander of the 12th Aviation Battalion, The Army Aviation Brigade, Davison Army Airfield, Virginia. Originally from New York, she commissioned as a Medical Service Corps officer from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2005.
Lt. Col. Holownia served as an Aeromedical Evacuation Section Leader, Platoon Leader, and Company Operations Officer in 2-3 General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB), 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2011 she transferred to the Aviation branch, remaining in 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade as an Assistant Operations Officer and then Commander, Charlie Company, 4-3 Aviation (Assault), deploying again to Afghanistan. Following the Aviation Captain's Career Course, Lt. Col. Holownia served as a Maneuver Captain's Career Course Small Group Leader at Fort Benning, Georgia. She attended the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama before reporting to the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where she served as a Division Aviation Officer, 1-82 Attack Reconnaissance Battalion Executive Officer, and the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade Operations Officer. In 2019, she moved to the Army Special Operations Aviation Command G-8 as a Programs Officer. Lt. Col. Holownia most recently served on the Army Staff, first as the Executive Officer to the Vice Director of the Army Staff, then in the G-3/5/7 Aviation Directorate (DAMO-AV) as the Future Vertical Lift Modernization Officer and later the Fielding, Modification, & Reset Officer.
Lt. Col. Holownia is a graduate of the Army Medical Department Officer Basic Course, Initial Entry Rotary Wing Training, Aviation Captain's Career Course, and the Air Command and Staff College. She holds a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University. Lt. Col. Holownia’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Army Staff Badge, Parachutist Badge, and Senior Aviator Badge.
Lt. Col. Holownia is married to Major Greg Holownia, an Infantry Officer currently serving in the Headquarters, Department of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff G-3/5/7 Operations, Readiness, and Mobilization Directorate. They have one son, Gregory (7), and are expecting their second child in November 2023.