1 00:00:00,142 --> 00:00:02,725 (Bright Music) 2 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:10,120 - [Woman] Even though I had a college degree, 3 00:00:10,120 --> 00:00:12,350 I was hired as the clerk typist, 4 00:00:12,350 --> 00:00:15,720 and they sent me to work with guys that graduated 5 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:19,380 from Harvard and Yale, with degrees in engineering. 6 00:00:19,380 --> 00:00:23,070 The only people who could touch the computer were engineers, 7 00:00:23,070 --> 00:00:26,330 but I had to go into the computer every morning 8 00:00:26,330 --> 00:00:28,750 to compare metallic tapes. 9 00:00:28,750 --> 00:00:31,330 And I said to the guy operating the computer, 10 00:00:31,330 --> 00:00:34,557 teach me to operate the computer. "And he said no. 11 00:00:34,557 --> 00:00:38,166 "If I teach you to operate the computer you'd have my job." 12 00:00:38,166 --> 00:00:40,960 Well you can't let me stand here and watch somebody 13 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:43,800 do something for a couple of weeks and think 14 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,810 I'm not going to catch on to what they're doing. 15 00:00:46,810 --> 00:00:50,683 So, about two weeks later, all the engineers called in sick, 16 00:00:51,570 --> 00:00:53,500 and no one came out to operate for me. 17 00:00:53,500 --> 00:00:55,803 So I walked over to the computer, 18 00:00:57,340 --> 00:00:58,680 and slowly but surely 19 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:00,433 started to flip the switches, 20 00:01:01,570 --> 00:01:04,157 and he walked over slowly and said, 21 00:01:04,157 --> 00:01:06,780 "Raye, I didn't know you knew how to operate the computer." 22 00:01:06,780 --> 00:01:07,613 I said I don't. 23 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:10,750 He said, "well, what are you doing?" 24 00:01:10,750 --> 00:01:13,560 I said well I know how to do enough to get my job done. 25 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:15,327 He said, "fine, you know more than any of the 26 00:01:15,327 --> 00:01:18,700 "rest of us here, so from now on this is your job." 27 00:01:18,700 --> 00:01:21,343 So I created every job I had after that. 28 00:01:23,260 --> 00:01:25,870 President Nixon was in office, 29 00:01:25,870 --> 00:01:27,090 and he called the Navy 30 00:01:27,090 --> 00:01:30,090 and he told them that there was a new ship design 31 00:01:30,090 --> 00:01:34,330 coming up, and instead of it taking the two years 32 00:01:34,330 --> 00:01:37,630 that it normally takes, he wanted the Navy to do 33 00:01:37,630 --> 00:01:41,063 the rough draft of it in two months. 34 00:01:42,100 --> 00:01:44,390 And the admirals came to me 35 00:01:44,390 --> 00:01:45,223 and said, 36 00:01:45,223 --> 00:01:47,717 "young lady, we understand you've got a system 37 00:01:47,717 --> 00:01:50,047 "to design ships. 38 00:01:50,047 --> 00:01:51,004 "It normally takes two years to do a rough draft. 39 00:01:51,004 --> 00:01:55,417 "The president has given the Navy 40 00:01:55,417 --> 00:01:57,470 "two months." 41 00:01:57,470 --> 00:02:01,563 I brought that rascal in in 18 hours and 26 minutes. 42 00:02:02,740 --> 00:02:05,753 And for that, my career just took off. 43 00:02:07,300 --> 00:02:10,050 My first ship was the 44 00:02:10,050 --> 00:02:14,130 Oliver Hazard Perry Class, 45 00:02:14,130 --> 00:02:19,130 and I put two general electric LM2500 engines on it, 46 00:02:20,630 --> 00:02:22,283 so that rascal could speed. 47 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:28,020 The next ship I worked on was the LHA #1 Landing Craft 48 00:02:28,020 --> 00:02:31,273 Helicopter Assault Weapons System. 49 00:02:33,500 --> 00:02:35,760 I'm just so proud of it. 50 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:38,400 I feel so good when I 51 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:41,670 hear about some of the ships that I've worked on 52 00:02:41,670 --> 00:02:43,840 still being in the fleet, 53 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:45,046 and to know that 54 00:02:45,046 --> 00:02:47,380 (heavy machine gun firing) 55 00:02:47,380 --> 00:02:50,320 I'm still fighting for my country. 56 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:51,780 You know there's no 57 00:02:51,780 --> 00:02:53,573 ifs, ans, or buts about it. 58 00:02:54,620 --> 00:02:57,460 I am still out there, 59 00:02:57,460 --> 00:03:00,030 and regardless of what anybody says we've got a 60 00:03:00,030 --> 00:03:03,623 great country, and I'm very proud of it. 61 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:06,510 I had to fight like the devil to get in there 62 00:03:06,510 --> 00:03:09,890 to do what I needed to do, but look at what I've done, 63 00:03:09,890 --> 00:03:13,310 and look at how our guys 64 00:03:13,310 --> 00:03:16,510 and gals are using this stuff 65 00:03:16,510 --> 00:03:19,996 and defending our country, 66 00:03:19,996 --> 00:03:23,120 and I'm living to see this. 67 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,433 So, the little girl, 68 00:03:27,159 --> 00:03:29,400 from when my mother talked to me, 69 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:31,700 and then the little girl who saw the sub, 70 00:03:31,700 --> 00:03:35,530 when I was seven, I would tell her now, 71 00:03:35,530 --> 00:03:38,650 you can do it, you can handle it. 72 00:03:38,650 --> 00:03:41,730 And the important thing for you is to open doors 73 00:03:41,730 --> 00:03:44,913 for other people. (somber music)