BELIEVE IN YOURSELVES, PILOT TELLS KIDS.Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer LITTLEROCK - An Air Force pilot told a roomful of excited fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders Friday that with determination and hard work, they can do anything they want. Lt. Col. Latishie ``Tish'' Wodetzki, who operates the Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft that flew in Afghanistan and Iraq, said her life shows what perseverance and dedication can do: She wasn't the smartest or the most athletic, but she accomplished her goals. ``No matter what the naysayers say, no matter what they tell you you can't do, they're wrong,'' Wodetzki told youngsters at Daisy Gibson Elementary School Gibson Elementary is a public elementary school in Delta, British Columbia part of School District 37 Delta. . ``You can do everything I did and more if you just put your mind to it.'' As a girl, Wodetzki decided she wanted to attend the Air Force Academy but was told the academy didn't accept women. She applied herself in her schoolwork and got good grades and also lettered in volleyball and basketball through high school, though coaches said she didn't have the physical abilities necessary to succeed in two sports. And by the time she was a high school sophomore, the Air Force Academy had started admitting women. Wodetzki graduated from the academy, then applied for helicopter pilot training but was told that she would not be accepted because she was a woman. ``I didn't accept that,'' Wodetzki said. ``I kept knocking on doors until I was accepted.'' Wodetzki came to Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. , the Air Force's premier flight test center, to support the testing and development of the computer-controlled Global Hawk. She has been named an Outstanding Young Woman of America, nominated for the National Aviation Club's Women in Aviation award and given the New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). Trailblazer Award. Her military decorations include the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal The Meritorious Service Medal is a senior level military decoration presented to denote acts of non-combat meritorious service worthy of recognition. The following is a list of Meritorious Service Medals issued by various countries: The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military award which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. with one oak leaf cluster, the National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Created in 1953, the National Defense Service Medal was intended to be a “blanket campaign medal” awarded to any member , the Air Force Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is the lowest of the United States military’s meritorious service medals. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize the contributions of junior officers and enlisted personnel who were not eligible to receive the higher , the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with two oak leaf clusters and the Humanitarian Service Medal The Humanitarian Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was created on January 19, 1977 by President Gerald Ford under eo: 11965 . . ``I'm so thankful for the teachers that told me I could do it and encouraged me,'' she said. ``If I leave you with anything here today, it is that you have to believe in yourself.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Air Force Lt. Col. Latishie Wodetzki, with Daisy Gibson Elementary School Principal Todd Farr, is greeted by students with flags. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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