WEBVTT

00:08.390 --> 00:10.729
I'm senior master Heidi Saint Charles

00:10.729 --> 00:12.285
and I currently work at the

00:12.285 --> 00:13.951
seventy-eighth Communications

00:13.951 --> 00:17.059
Directorate . Uh , currently I am the

00:17.059 --> 00:19.059
operations superintendent , so what

00:19.059 --> 00:20.989
that entails is , um , overseeing

00:20.989 --> 00:24.159
roughly 200 military and civilian

00:24.159 --> 00:26.299
personnel conducting daily IT

00:26.299 --> 00:28.521
operations for the base . We support 55

00:28.521 --> 00:30.819
mission partners across the base , um ,

00:30.909 --> 00:33.310
installing and maintaining all their IT

00:33.310 --> 00:35.740
support , phones , networks , uh ,

00:35.869 --> 00:38.091
computers and things like that . I have

00:38.091 --> 00:40.258
been serving for 20 years in January .

00:41.479 --> 00:43.590
And I've been here at Robbins for 2.5

00:43.590 --> 00:45.646
years . Who inspired me to serve was

00:45.646 --> 00:47.812
probably my older sister , mostly . My

00:47.812 --> 00:49.923
sister's always been um supportive of

00:49.923 --> 00:52.035
me and she ended up , uh , separating

00:52.035 --> 00:54.630
after about 6 years . So and at that

00:54.630 --> 00:56.790
point I decided to stay in my , my

00:56.790 --> 00:58.679
grandfather on my father's side ,

00:58.790 --> 01:01.012
Lawrence Kenny , he served during World

01:01.012 --> 01:04.599
War II and he was a maintainer on B-17s .

01:04.989 --> 01:07.156
Uh , his brothers also served both his

01:07.156 --> 01:09.470
brothers Ralph , um , served in the

01:09.470 --> 01:12.080
Pacific as a pilot . He flew Corsairs

01:12.430 --> 01:14.486
and some other airframes , but their

01:14.486 --> 01:16.652
service has has always been impressive

01:16.652 --> 01:18.486
to me though they're kind of the

01:18.486 --> 01:18.430
generation that doesn't really talk

01:18.430 --> 01:20.750
about it , um , but I knew he served

01:20.750 --> 01:22.806
and he always maintained that , uh .

01:23.610 --> 01:26.449
That air of discipline um that I

01:26.449 --> 01:28.980
remember from him growing up . And to

01:28.980 --> 01:30.980
those that came before me obviously

01:30.980 --> 01:34.099
just thank them for paving the way um

01:34.099 --> 01:36.321
for building the greatest air force and

01:36.321 --> 01:39.099
the greatest military , um , providing

01:39.099 --> 01:41.210
me the opportunity to be part of this

01:41.779 --> 01:43.946
and that I respect them and appreciate

01:43.946 --> 01:46.001
their service um for those that come

01:46.001 --> 01:48.870
after me push yourselves and everything

01:48.870 --> 01:51.037
that you do . I always say even if you

01:51.037 --> 01:53.203
decide you're not going to stay in the

01:53.203 --> 01:55.370
military , set yourself up for success

01:55.370 --> 01:57.592
where you're at because things change .

01:57.592 --> 01:59.759
I didn't initially plan to stay in the

01:59.759 --> 02:01.870
military for 20 years , but I changed

02:01.870 --> 02:04.037
my mind and I feel like I I could have

02:04.037 --> 02:06.092
done more earlier in my career had I

02:06.092 --> 02:08.203
had that mindset of setting myself up

02:08.203 --> 02:10.314
for success where I was at as opposed

02:10.314 --> 02:12.537
to thinking I was going to do something

02:12.537 --> 02:11.979
else .