Unlike most of the other members of the G.I. Joe team, Courtney didn't hook up with the military right out of high school. In fact, she was a fashion model through most of her formative years, working the circuits in both Chicago and New York City for quite a while, until she became totally disillusioned with that particular industry; by about the time she was twenty, she decided that she needed a change.

This change came in a completely unexpected direction when, as opposed to going to college to acquire a degree or at least a 'legitimate' trade, Courtney decided to enlist in the Army. While going through basic training, Courtney began to pursue an increasing number of what can only be described as unfeminine skills, and her personal motivation ran towards big, greasy machinery. This helped to land Courtney a spot in the Armor School at Fort Knox, along with various other tech-type training courses, the results of which have transformed her from a fashion model into a grease monkey who can field repair a diesel engine under fire. This skill and determination is what eventually got Courtney noticed by her superiors, who recommended her for a position on the G.I. Joe team.

After a few training missions with various members of the Joe team, old and new, Courtney eventually saw her first battle with Cobra on the very streets of Washington D.C., when the whole of the Cobra Command acted out a plot to poison the supply of U.S. currency. She managed to hold her own for quite a while, in fact, destroying a very large number of Hiss tanks before Cobra Commander ran her Wolverine down. Once she'd proven herself in this operation, Courtney went on to participate in an uncounted number of missions against Cobra and other terrorist forces, doing so for the duration of the time the Joe team was active. Of course, over the years, Courtney began to serve a more administrative role within the Joe team, helping to coordinate covert operations as assigned to the team by General Hawk.

Exactly what Courtney did when the G.I. Joe team was disbanded in '94 has yet to be documented, but considering her disdain for modeling when she joined the Army, she most likely didn't return to that particular occupation.