WEBVTT

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- My name is Janet Pattison.

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I'm co-owner and operator of T&J Island Cruises

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in Biloxi, Mississippi.

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I'm retired from the Air Force in 2012

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as the lead of space professional development.

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I got into the Air Force with a scholarship

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out of high school.

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I was really interested in becoming an intel officer

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at that time, but my sophomore year of college,

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they said you're gonna be a missileer.

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I did that for the first four years of active duty.

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After my first assignment,

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I went to teach ROTC at Loyola Marymount University

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in Los Angeles, then my assignment after that

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was at the Space and Missile Systems Center

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in Los Angeles Air Force Base.

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That's where I got to learn a lot about space systems.

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My favorite assignment was being a squadron commander

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at Keesler Air Force Base.

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I really enjoyed working at the mission level.

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I really feel you can make a big impact

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to the people that you work with.

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After retirement, my husband, Ted, and I moved

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to Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

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We were really looking for something

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that we could do together.

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We started T&J Island Cruises.

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I really wanted to be able to do somethin'

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that I could share with my family.

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Going back to my roots and growin' up,

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I spent a lot of time on the water.

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My Dad had a boat, and we spent a lot of time

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on the boat growin' up.

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I learned how to sail on my own,

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went through sailing courses when I was six years old.

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I definitely see whatever we're gonna do

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with this business, we'd like to

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grow it slowly

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and we strive for excellence.

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I think that came from the Air Force, too.

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Excellence in all we do.

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(laughing)

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The Air Force really gave me a chance

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to really grow, learn my skills.

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It really pushed me mentally.

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It pushed me physically.

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I did a lot more in the Air Force

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than I thought I could ever do.

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When you look back after 20 years,

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you're like, "Wow! I do really see a solid thread."

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I see I really worked in space a lot,

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I really worked in training a lot.

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I guess the training aspect of it

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I like to educate people.

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The Air Force really gave me skills

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and the confidence to be able to do those skills.

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I got a lot of chances to practice

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and understand what I can do,

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and they really pushed my abilities

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to see I can really do anything

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that I put my mind into doing.