WEBVTT 00:08.840 --> 00:12.160 I started here in June of 1965 . 00:12.840 --> 00:15.920 What brought me here was um I kept 00:15.920 --> 00:18.087 bugging my school counselor for summer 00:18.087 --> 00:22.000 classes . And she it says how would you 00:22.000 --> 00:25.320 like to work At the Devil ? At 1st . I 00:25.320 --> 00:27.542 thought she meant greyhound apple . And 00:27.542 --> 00:29.598 I thought , well okay , whatever she 00:29.598 --> 00:32.610 goes , no , she goes Department of 00:32.610 --> 00:34.721 Defense depot on chris Monroe . And I 00:34.721 --> 00:36.860 go , okay because see we used to ride 00:36.860 --> 00:39.027 our bikes out here , me and my friends 00:39.027 --> 00:40.860 and we always thought this was a 00:40.860 --> 00:42.971 federal prison because all the guards 00:42.971 --> 00:45.027 and they would wave to us and we way 00:45.027 --> 00:47.138 back and and with that God you had to 00:47.138 --> 00:49.416 be , you know , we did you end up here , 00:49.416 --> 00:51.820 You know , it turns out it wasn't a 00:51.820 --> 00:53.870 federal prison , you know , but a 00:53.870 --> 00:57.750 logistic base when I first 00:57.750 --> 00:59.972 started working here , we couldn't wear 00:59.972 --> 01:02.120 pants . So you know , we didn't think 01:02.120 --> 01:04.450 nothing of it because we work in an 01:04.450 --> 01:08.160 office . So um and uh 01:08.840 --> 01:12.100 in this until I went into , you know 01:12.110 --> 01:14.450 work at di calms . We were out in the 01:14.450 --> 01:16.617 warehouse and they kind of relaxed the 01:16.617 --> 01:18.617 dress code and we were able to wear 01:18.617 --> 01:21.230 pants . And uh We could work 10 issues 01:21.240 --> 01:23.590 where before we couldn't you know , we 01:23.590 --> 01:25.812 had to dress professional . I see a lot 01:25.812 --> 01:27.812 of women , more women coming up the 01:27.812 --> 01:31.240 ranks than when I first started before . 01:31.240 --> 01:33.240 All our chiefs and divisions . They 01:33.240 --> 01:37.220 were all men . You know , and 01:37.230 --> 01:39.840 I'm happy that that culture is changing 01:39.850 --> 01:42.190 because we have a lot of good women 01:42.190 --> 01:45.640 here that can really put in some good 01:45.640 --> 01:48.070 ideas , make this a better place and 01:48.070 --> 01:49.950 support the employees here . 01:52.440 --> 01:56.380 I started in data systems . And what 01:56.380 --> 01:59.610 I did was when I started I was the 01:59.620 --> 02:02.580 first summer higher book could be hired 02:02.580 --> 02:05.610 on as a summer higher and I process all 02:05.610 --> 02:07.610 the mro the material release orders 02:07.610 --> 02:09.970 that we got . They would be the phone 02:09.980 --> 02:12.800 call men or they were mailed in or they 02:12.800 --> 02:16.460 were submitted to us and Twix . Um 02:16.470 --> 02:18.526 so I processed all of them . I would 02:18.526 --> 02:20.470 sit there and just right , right , 02:20.470 --> 02:22.470 right , right , right . And process 02:22.470 --> 02:24.637 then I take them to the key punch room 02:24.637 --> 02:26.748 and they punch them up , you know the 02:26.748 --> 02:26.500 whole way key points machines and the 02:26.500 --> 02:28.667 verifying machines . And then they run 02:28.667 --> 02:30.556 them over to our control room and 02:30.556 --> 02:33.470 process them . And I had all our mail 02:33.470 --> 02:36.760 and answer inquiries . Did status 02:36.760 --> 02:40.160 for shipments that are lost . I 02:40.160 --> 02:42.650 remember when we first got computers , 02:43.440 --> 02:45.607 they were Harris computers and they go 02:45.607 --> 02:47.773 where you're getting a new computer or 02:47.773 --> 02:49.773 go what the heck is a computer . So 02:49.773 --> 02:51.940 next thing I know I could clean off my 02:51.940 --> 02:53.662 desk because there's a big old 02:53.662 --> 02:55.829 monstrosities sitting in front of me . 02:55.829 --> 02:57.940 But the keyboard , I go , great , you 02:57.940 --> 03:00.051 know , and then after why you realize 03:00.051 --> 03:02.273 that it's part of your life now because 03:02.940 --> 03:05.450 everything is computerized . And when 03:05.450 --> 03:07.561 they got when they went away with the 03:07.561 --> 03:09.783 big screens to the flat screens , I was 03:09.783 --> 03:12.840 really happy , you know , uh and we had 03:12.840 --> 03:15.007 the keyboard . We didn't have this big 03:15.007 --> 03:17.007 old monstrosities taking up half of 03:17.007 --> 03:19.420 your desk . And so that was to me a 03:19.420 --> 03:21.410 great move is when it comes to 03:21.410 --> 03:24.800 technology . I remember 03:24.800 --> 03:28.440 once an officer called me . It was 03:28.440 --> 03:30.662 during the Vietnam era and I could hear 03:30.662 --> 03:33.400 the bombs in the background and he 03:33.400 --> 03:35.511 wanted to know where his shipment was 03:35.511 --> 03:38.040 at that his people , he needed this 03:38.040 --> 03:40.096 medical supplies . He wanted to know 03:40.096 --> 03:44.040 where was his shipment . And so I was 03:44.040 --> 03:46.490 like , oh my God , you know and I can I 03:46.490 --> 03:48.657 call you back ? He goes , no I'll call 03:48.657 --> 03:50.823 you back . So , you know , and then we 03:50.823 --> 03:52.990 don't have the technology that we have 03:52.990 --> 03:55.046 today . We had a fire room like this 03:55.046 --> 03:57.157 file room and they have these big old 03:57.157 --> 03:59.710 books , file books . And I had to go 03:59.710 --> 04:01.710 through each one of them . You know 04:01.720 --> 04:03.942 because he couldn't he couldn't give me 04:03.942 --> 04:06.109 very much all he could tell me was the 04:06.109 --> 04:08.260 T . The T . C . N . Number . So I'm 04:08.260 --> 04:10.482 looking through all these books life on 04:10.482 --> 04:12.593 his shipment and uh turned out it had 04:12.593 --> 04:16.420 been cancelled . So he had and I told 04:16.420 --> 04:18.698 them , well it was canceling . He goes , 04:18.698 --> 04:20.864 well , part of our truth what happened 04:20.864 --> 04:22.976 was part of their troops are going to 04:22.976 --> 04:25.142 come back home . But a part of staying 04:25.142 --> 04:27.160 behind . And I guess there was a 04:27.160 --> 04:29.327 miscommunication and all his shipments 04:29.327 --> 04:32.520 were council . So he had to go back and 04:32.520 --> 04:34.631 re order everything . And so then you 04:34.631 --> 04:36.742 know , we had to reprocess everything 04:37.840 --> 04:40.160 during the Vietnam war . You don't 04:40.170 --> 04:43.520 really realize how much work it is and 04:43.520 --> 04:45.690 what it entails until you actually get 04:45.690 --> 04:48.590 involved . And as young as I was 04:48.600 --> 04:51.990 because I was what 1920 years old ? Um 04:52.000 --> 04:54.570 we were shipping out all these just you 04:54.570 --> 04:56.626 know subsistence and medical . And I 04:56.626 --> 05:00.470 remember when there were body bags and 05:00.470 --> 05:02.470 I told I told Sergeant smith , I go 05:02.480 --> 05:04.970 body bags and what do you mean by body 05:04.980 --> 05:07.970 body bags ? What our body bags ? And he 05:07.970 --> 05:10.370 goes , well when that's what our 05:10.370 --> 05:13.450 soldiers who who don't make it come 05:13.450 --> 05:16.660 home in . And I thought really and what 05:17.140 --> 05:19.520 what got to me was we didn't ship out 05:19.520 --> 05:21.580 one pallet or two pallets . We were 05:21.580 --> 05:24.720 shipping van lows of body bags . And I 05:24.720 --> 05:27.120 thought how many men are and women are 05:27.120 --> 05:29.910 we losing here ? You know ? And it just 05:29.910 --> 05:33.530 kind of you know , made me think , you 05:33.530 --> 05:36.350 know really what more was all about 05:38.940 --> 05:42.140 after that summer was over my concert 05:42.140 --> 05:45.160 called me back and she said mr john 05:45.160 --> 05:47.049 Beckman who was our Chief of data 05:47.049 --> 05:49.216 system because he was really impressed 05:49.216 --> 05:51.438 with you . He wants to know if you want 05:51.438 --> 05:53.604 to work the weekends . You know during 05:53.604 --> 05:55.604 the holidays . I go , well yeah , I 05:55.604 --> 05:57.771 mean A dollar 25 an hour . That was to 05:57.771 --> 05:59.882 me it was a lot of money that was the 05:59.882 --> 06:02.104 minimum wage back then I go , yeah I'll 06:02.104 --> 06:05.640 work when I graduated . I put in for 06:05.640 --> 06:09.450 some jobs and I got hired in at , 06:10.340 --> 06:13.230 in our area c area , which at night , 06:13.240 --> 06:15.730 which is right over here , which is now 06:15.740 --> 06:17.851 we're building a bigger warehouse and 06:17.851 --> 06:20.250 we handle all the steel , still plays 06:20.250 --> 06:23.450 barb waters and conduit for aircraft 06:23.450 --> 06:27.050 repairs and for landing strips . And um , 06:27.840 --> 06:30.062 I had a lot of fun there too because we 06:30.062 --> 06:32.570 were always busy , you know , and then 06:32.580 --> 06:35.400 die calms open at warehouse 29 there 06:35.400 --> 06:37.567 was a commissary place like that man , 06:37.567 --> 06:39.980 I wouldn't mind working there And I 06:39.980 --> 06:42.036 hope that old saying be careful what 06:42.036 --> 06:44.520 you ask for because they put in for the 06:44.520 --> 06:47.550 job and I got it . So there I was in 06:47.550 --> 06:49.860 this empty warehouse and I thought , 06:49.870 --> 06:53.510 wow . And so I helped set it up and 06:53.510 --> 06:55.566 I'll watch the guy flipped the racks 06:55.566 --> 06:58.120 and everything . You know , you come 06:58.120 --> 07:00.240 home , you work and you go home and , 07:00.250 --> 07:02.600 and everything is hunky dory until you 07:02.600 --> 07:05.430 get involved in the , in the supply in 07:05.430 --> 07:07.652 our men and women of the armed services 07:07.652 --> 07:10.510 and and realizing that a lot of them 07:10.510 --> 07:13.480 don't make it home and then that I 07:13.480 --> 07:16.330 found out that to my classmates and 07:16.330 --> 07:18.552 graduated with me didn't make it home . 07:19.340 --> 07:21.451 And one of them I was really close to 07:21.451 --> 07:23.396 because he used to bug me a lot in 07:23.396 --> 07:25.680 school and break all my pencils and he 07:25.680 --> 07:27.736 was , most of them are really nice . 07:27.736 --> 07:30.550 But this was when he was , yeah , he 07:30.550 --> 07:33.990 was extremely nice and you realize , 07:34.000 --> 07:35.944 you know when you're , when you're 07:35.944 --> 07:38.056 filling out these orders and you come 07:38.056 --> 07:40.111 to why you're here . And so to me it 07:40.111 --> 07:43.300 was this is to me a very important job , 07:43.310 --> 07:46.720 very important site . And so after that 07:46.720 --> 07:49.100 I went into transportation and there we 07:49.100 --> 07:52.930 were shipping truckloads of subsistence 07:52.930 --> 07:55.730 and what have you , medical items . And 07:55.740 --> 07:59.560 um , back then we had , 07:59.940 --> 08:02.051 we didn't have the automation that we 08:02.051 --> 08:04.540 have to do if we had a life or death , 08:04.540 --> 08:06.940 we had to talk with the pilots . We 08:06.950 --> 08:09.670 look at the flights , talk to the , can 08:09.670 --> 08:11.948 you take , will you take this shipment ? 08:11.948 --> 08:14.114 It's got to be here to life or death . 08:14.114 --> 08:16.226 And uh most of the pilots were really 08:16.226 --> 08:18.448 good about it . Yeah , bring it on over 08:18.448 --> 08:20.614 and we set up with motor pool and take 08:20.614 --> 08:22.726 it over to san Francisco and get them 08:22.726 --> 08:24.892 on the plane . I'd be eating lunch and 08:24.892 --> 08:27.003 they'll be calling me , you know mary 08:27.003 --> 08:29.226 Martinez , life or death . And I've had 08:29.226 --> 08:31.392 and I had to stop it . I just throw my 08:31.392 --> 08:33.503 lunch and go go process the paperwork 08:34.240 --> 08:37.220 Because it was , it was important to uh 08:37.230 --> 08:40.950 all my coworkers . We , we did 08:40.950 --> 08:43.290 everything manually . I mean we were 08:43.300 --> 08:46.780 our average , each person was like 1516 08:46.780 --> 08:48.891 truckloads and there was like four of 08:48.891 --> 08:51.058 us . So you can imagine the traffic of 08:51.058 --> 08:53.113 work truck load their coin in and on 08:53.113 --> 08:56.620 our site during the Vietnam Era . And 08:56.630 --> 08:59.800 we worked long hours , whoops . Well 08:59.810 --> 09:02.710 sometimes I work seven days , 10 hours 09:02.710 --> 09:04.830 to get these supplies to you know , 09:04.830 --> 09:07.250 where they needed to be looking with 09:07.260 --> 09:08.927 the water port . The airlines 09:08.927 --> 09:12.240 attracting companies . I mean that was 09:12.240 --> 09:15.520 our job . And uh , we knew that are 09:15.530 --> 09:17.850 they ? We had people depending on this . 09:18.240 --> 09:20.640 And then from there I went , I put in 09:20.640 --> 09:22.807 for another job and that's how I ended 09:22.807 --> 09:24.751 up in financial support where I am 09:24.751 --> 09:27.770 today and today I don't see much of the 09:27.770 --> 09:31.220 action out in the warehouse . But I I 09:31.220 --> 09:33.930 see where we when we deploy people to 09:33.930 --> 09:36.210 help with certain missions or when 09:36.210 --> 09:38.543 they're going to Afghanistan , you know , 09:38.543 --> 09:41.030 we we should uh , we had our deployable 09:41.030 --> 09:44.760 team either or one to kuwait her 09:44.770 --> 09:46.826 career . You know , wherever they're 09:46.826 --> 09:49.048 needed . And I try to make their travel 09:49.048 --> 09:51.750 as simple and as pleasant as possible 09:51.760 --> 09:53.871 because a lot of our neutrality . You 09:53.871 --> 09:55.927 know , employees there knew a lot of 09:55.927 --> 09:58.050 them never lived Tracy . So when you 09:58.050 --> 10:01.200 send out how we run the world , it's 10:01.200 --> 10:02.200 new to them . 10:05.240 --> 10:07.760 one of the bricks I have about my job 10:07.760 --> 10:11.200 is meeting new people . Getting them 10:11.200 --> 10:13.470 ready for travel . They call me six 10:13.470 --> 10:16.840 days . You know , a lot of them know my 10:16.840 --> 10:18.951 son goes , I need to go home mom . So 10:18.951 --> 10:20.840 she gives him my number . They're 10:20.840 --> 10:22.951 coming . You know , saturday sunday . 10:22.951 --> 10:25.118 You know , I'm asleep . You forget the 10:25.118 --> 10:27.440 time zone . Um , I had a Colonel Kami 10:27.440 --> 10:29.496 was , I was at K mart shopping on my 10:29.496 --> 10:31.662 girlfriend , His black God counseled , 10:31.662 --> 10:34.280 he goes please get me home . So there I 10:34.280 --> 10:36.447 am with these little kids bouncing all 10:36.447 --> 10:38.950 over me trying to get our colonel home 10:39.440 --> 10:40.850 and I got him home . 10:43.340 --> 10:45.720 I think in my 55 years here it's 10:47.240 --> 10:49.360 I find that to be very challenging , 10:50.240 --> 10:52.670 you know , and we get the new horror 10:52.670 --> 10:54.960 that come in . They're very our 10:54.960 --> 10:57.016 workforce now is very , very young . 10:57.440 --> 11:00.250 And a lot of them when I ask them when 11:00.250 --> 11:02.361 I brief and go , do you know what our 11:02.361 --> 11:04.472 mission is here ? A lot of them don't 11:04.472 --> 11:06.639 understand what our mission is . And I 11:06.639 --> 11:08.861 go and I said you see these gentlemen , 11:08.861 --> 11:11.139 these women , men and women in uniform , 11:11.139 --> 11:15.100 that's our mission and they go what ? 11:15.110 --> 11:16.943 They still don't understand that 11:16.943 --> 11:19.054 because of them , you're here today . 11:19.054 --> 11:21.166 Because of them , you got a job , you 11:21.166 --> 11:22.999 can go buy a new cell phone or a 11:22.999 --> 11:25.054 Mercedes or whatever you you're here 11:25.054 --> 11:27.540 for you know to you know to have a 11:27.540 --> 11:29.900 better life . But they're the ones that 11:29.900 --> 11:32.122 put their lives on the line so that you 11:32.122 --> 11:34.233 can walk down that street and be free 11:34.233 --> 11:37.160 about it and they go , ok , 11:39.040 --> 11:41.207 I think a lot of it because my dad was 11:41.207 --> 11:45.100 a korean vet and when he he worked as 11:45.100 --> 11:47.211 sharp and when I told him I got a job 11:47.211 --> 11:49.156 here him and my mom , they were so 11:49.156 --> 11:51.350 happy , wow , this girl's going 11:51.350 --> 11:53.880 somewhere I go yeah , two minutes down 11:53.880 --> 11:57.880 the road . But and my dad says 11:57.880 --> 12:00.550 a good job , you know you're going to 12:00.550 --> 12:04.430 do well and I learned from my father 12:04.430 --> 12:06.597 would , it meant to support our troops 12:06.597 --> 12:09.450 because my dad when he came to this 12:09.450 --> 12:12.030 country came from the Philippines . He 12:12.030 --> 12:14.141 joined him and his best friend joined 12:14.141 --> 12:17.380 the service . Um and it was tough on it 12:17.380 --> 12:19.602 because he was out in the jungle and he 12:19.602 --> 12:21.658 was shot and his best friend died in 12:21.658 --> 12:25.010 his arms . So it was and he said I told 12:25.010 --> 12:27.840 you he goes you just keep going . And 12:27.840 --> 12:30.062 then that's when I found out what those 12:30.062 --> 12:32.229 dogs sides work for , you know because 12:32.229 --> 12:34.229 you take one and you put it between 12:34.229 --> 12:36.451 your teeth and jam it in there and I go 12:36.451 --> 12:40.110 wow , you know , and my dad always , my 12:40.110 --> 12:42.277 dad was always an army person from the 12:42.277 --> 12:44.550 day he died , he's been shining his 12:44.550 --> 12:46.920 shoes that I mean there is nothing 12:46.920 --> 12:49.550 better than being in the army . Uh , 12:50.040 --> 12:53.900 so when you have somebody 12:53.910 --> 12:56.860 who's military and they tell you what 12:56.860 --> 12:58.916 they went through and you're working 12:58.916 --> 13:00.804 with the government , you kind of 13:00.804 --> 13:02.916 relate as to why you're here and what 13:02.916 --> 13:05.027 you need to do . When my son , he was 13:05.027 --> 13:07.060 thinking at Vandenberg , I mean he 13:07.070 --> 13:09.348 really had a hard time there . He goes , 13:09.348 --> 13:11.459 hey , he called me up because we just 13:11.459 --> 13:13.600 got a shipment from the base because 13:13.610 --> 13:15.850 since defense tempo Tracy and I go , 13:15.850 --> 13:18.017 yeah and he goes , he goes , yeah , he 13:18.017 --> 13:20.072 goes we need it because he worked in 13:20.072 --> 13:23.680 and um he maintained their 13:23.680 --> 13:26.050 shuttles there , you know sheet metal 13:26.050 --> 13:28.272 and doing all that work . So every time 13:28.272 --> 13:30.494 he got a shipment from us he would call 13:30.494 --> 13:33.860 me so you know I thought well you know 13:33.860 --> 13:35.860 there's a reason why we're shipping 13:35.860 --> 13:37.582 this also that you know you're 13:37.582 --> 13:39.638 basically stay open and shoot your , 13:39.638 --> 13:41.804 you know if you happen to launch those 13:41.804 --> 13:44.027 shuttles , those missiles or whatever , 13:44.027 --> 13:46.560 you know you guys are able to do . So 13:48.740 --> 13:51.890 first person that are believed was 13:51.900 --> 13:54.122 really honored with Colonel Rodriguez . 13:54.210 --> 13:58.170 He's that deal now . Um he would 13:58.170 --> 14:00.740 come and check on this one because I 14:00.740 --> 14:03.200 used to work a lot of overtime and he 14:03.200 --> 14:05.256 would come over , he goes , you know 14:05.256 --> 14:07.311 mary he was I appreciate what you're 14:07.311 --> 14:09.533 doing , you work eight hours and you're 14:09.533 --> 14:11.700 out here packing as selecting . And he 14:11.700 --> 14:13.700 goes like you keep up the good work 14:13.700 --> 14:15.811 because we really appreciate what you 14:15.811 --> 14:18.550 do . Well thank you sir . And before he 14:18.550 --> 14:22.030 left he told me you have a lot to 14:22.040 --> 14:24.930 offer . And he knew how old I was . He 14:24.930 --> 14:26.930 goes , don't let them push you into 14:26.930 --> 14:29.980 your retirement . You retire when 14:29.980 --> 14:32.980 you're good and ready . I go okay . And 14:32.980 --> 14:35.036 I've always remembered that you know 14:35.036 --> 14:37.160 because I've seen people in other 14:37.270 --> 14:39.381 private industry where they're forced 14:39.381 --> 14:42.360 to retire whether they liked it or not 14:42.370 --> 14:44.770 and here I have that option , I can 14:44.770 --> 14:47.350 retire today or I could retire tomorrow . 14:49.640 --> 14:53.500 I wanted to be a ballerina dancer and 14:53.500 --> 14:56.090 here I am , you know , and it's so 14:56.090 --> 14:58.820 funny because people go , oh boy , what 14:58.830 --> 15:00.997 says you to start working there ? So I 15:00.997 --> 15:03.219 was only going to work for a summer and 15:03.219 --> 15:05.330 55 summers later I'm still here , you 15:05.330 --> 15:08.870 know . But um being a single mother , 15:08.880 --> 15:10.936 you know and being from the Hispanic 15:10.936 --> 15:13.180 culture , you took care of your parents 15:13.180 --> 15:15.500 or your grandparents and and I was 15:15.500 --> 15:19.150 raised by my grandmother and I felt I 15:19.150 --> 15:21.317 needed to be there for her because she 15:21.317 --> 15:23.372 was there with me to help me to take 15:23.372 --> 15:24.850 care of my two boys . 15:27.940 --> 15:31.700 It's been an honor De la 15:31.950 --> 15:35.450 working in 55 years , I learned a 15:35.450 --> 15:39.030 lot Simpsons for good , don't work , 15:39.040 --> 15:41.220 pick up a lot of bad habits , but 15:41.230 --> 15:44.360 working here to me um 15:47.040 --> 15:49.150 I think it's I stayed here because I 15:49.150 --> 15:51.980 like working here . I see a lot of 15:51.980 --> 15:53.758 young people , they use it as a 15:53.758 --> 15:55.924 stepping stone , which is good because 15:55.924 --> 15:57.980 it gives them that opportunity . And 15:57.980 --> 16:00.036 the fact that de ella opens it up to 16:00.036 --> 16:02.920 everybody , we're not uh we don't get 16:02.920 --> 16:06.060 zero in on one culture or whatever . Uh 16:06.440 --> 16:08.860 I've seen all kinds of cultures coming 16:09.240 --> 16:12.650 and which is good , you know . Uh 16:13.040 --> 16:16.460 everybody is treated pretty fair . 16:17.340 --> 16:21.170 Um so I think 16:21.170 --> 16:24.790 that's what makes us number one is that 16:24.790 --> 16:26.846 that you know , we take pride in our 16:26.846 --> 16:29.850 work , we treat our people , will we go 16:29.850 --> 16:32.500 above and beyond well , it has recorded 16:32.500 --> 16:33.160 the mission