WEBVTT 00:05.679 --> 00:09.520 I'm DJ Moser and uh I'm the first 00:09.529 --> 00:11.939 lock master in the Saint Paul district 00:11.949 --> 00:14.171 in Wine Lock on the Mississippi River . 00:14.899 --> 00:17.909 And um before that , I started here in 00:18.079 --> 00:21.420 1986 as a clerk at lock and down town . 00:21.649 --> 00:23.760 And nobody even talked about becoming 00:23.760 --> 00:25.871 an operator when I started uh back in 00:25.871 --> 00:28.329 86 nobody that the clerk was the 00:28.340 --> 00:30.729 women's job . Um And you didn't even 00:30.739 --> 00:32.906 think about becoming an operator , let 00:32.906 --> 00:35.128 alone a lock master that was completely 00:35.128 --> 00:37.072 out of reach . You know , that was 00:37.072 --> 00:39.500 something that men did . There was four 00:39.509 --> 00:43.380 of us um Rojin and Karen and Denise 00:43.389 --> 00:46.110 Lucky and I , and we had training uh 00:46.119 --> 00:49.330 becoming welding training in Wynonna . 00:49.340 --> 00:51.562 And the last night of the training , uh 00:51.562 --> 00:54.090 we went out to a dinner , we had dinner 00:54.099 --> 00:56.330 together at a fish shop . And at the 00:56.340 --> 00:58.340 end of the meal , I remember Denise 00:58.340 --> 01:00.340 kind of leaning forward . He said , 01:00.340 --> 01:02.451 wouldn't it be something if one of us 01:02.451 --> 01:04.673 become lock master or some day ? And we 01:04.673 --> 01:06.618 all just sat there . It was one of 01:06.618 --> 01:08.896 those things you didn't say , you know , 01:08.896 --> 01:11.118 you just , just the thought of it , you 01:11.118 --> 01:13.284 know , it was unreal if you grew up on 01:13.284 --> 01:15.173 a farm , you learn to , you learn 01:15.173 --> 01:17.229 maintenance because you have to take 01:17.229 --> 01:19.229 care of the farm equipment . And so 01:19.229 --> 01:21.340 learning the maintenance , there is a 01:21.340 --> 01:23.562 natural step to doing maintenance . You 01:23.562 --> 01:25.675 didn't do it to a Trailblazer , you 01:25.684 --> 01:27.740 didn't think of it that way . It was 01:27.740 --> 01:29.962 just one more thing to learn , one more 01:29.962 --> 01:32.565 thing to do . And you like the work . 01:32.574 --> 01:34.796 You just wanted to learn how to do more 01:34.796 --> 01:37.235 and you got involved with the offices 01:37.245 --> 01:39.714 in the ST Paul district office as well . 01:40.535 --> 01:42.702 It was just a way of growing . We went 01:42.702 --> 01:45.089 to work to do a job , but then it was , 01:45.099 --> 01:47.510 oh , I could do that . Just I could 01:47.519 --> 01:49.741 learn how to do that . It was learn one 01:49.741 --> 01:51.908 more thing to do , you know , one more 01:51.908 --> 01:54.075 step . Well , yeah , I can do that and 01:54.075 --> 01:56.241 you know , I can open the first time I 01:56.241 --> 01:58.297 did , first time I operated the lock 01:58.297 --> 01:59.963 gates . I had them going like 01:59.963 --> 02:02.209 butterflies . I remember they had 02:02.220 --> 02:04.442 operator . That was , I was like , no , 02:04.442 --> 02:07.879 I ain't gonna stop but you do learn DJ 02:07.889 --> 02:09.945 was definitely an inspiration . It's 02:09.945 --> 02:12.222 like if she , I think we all can do it . 02:12.222 --> 02:14.333 And I think just if you put your mind 02:14.333 --> 02:16.056 to it , I can say the core was 02:16.056 --> 02:18.278 tremendous in giving us the opportunity 02:18.278 --> 02:20.500 and the training that we needed to move 02:20.500 --> 02:23.479 forward started out back in the early 02:23.490 --> 02:26.020 or mid 19 seventies . I worked one year 02:26.029 --> 02:28.085 as a clerk . Typist down at lock and 02:28.085 --> 02:30.307 dam seven . So I was the first woman to 02:30.307 --> 02:32.418 ever work there . And then I left and 02:32.418 --> 02:34.649 then I came back in 1982 and just 02:34.660 --> 02:36.604 observing the guys around me , I'm 02:36.604 --> 02:38.549 thinking I was a farm girl and I'm 02:38.549 --> 02:40.660 thinking I can do anything these guys 02:40.660 --> 02:42.771 can do . So in the late 19 eighties , 02:42.771 --> 02:44.827 they came up with the upper mobility 02:44.827 --> 02:46.493 program to give more women an 02:46.493 --> 02:48.604 opportunity to actually go out on the 02:48.604 --> 02:50.771 wall and lock the bolts . So I applied 02:50.771 --> 02:52.993 for that had two years to complete it . 02:52.993 --> 02:55.049 It was all on the job training and I 02:55.049 --> 02:57.271 did it within six months and they hired 02:57.271 --> 02:59.216 me on as a lock a dam operator . I 02:59.216 --> 03:01.399 guess I didn't think of it as I'm a 03:01.410 --> 03:04.059 woman there , man . I just did my job . 03:04.759 --> 03:08.610 You know , I still , you know , try 03:08.619 --> 03:11.020 not to think of that , but I am very 03:11.029 --> 03:12.990 proud of my accomplishments just 03:13.000 --> 03:15.056 because I did make it to lock master 03:15.059 --> 03:17.539 and that's what I wanted to do . We 03:17.550 --> 03:19.661 worked with the guys . They knew we , 03:19.661 --> 03:21.772 you know , we're gonna carry our load 03:21.772 --> 03:23.828 and um , you know , we watch out for 03:23.828 --> 03:26.050 each other . It's a small site . All of 03:26.050 --> 03:28.106 them are . So you watch out for each 03:28.106 --> 03:27.669 other and make sure nobody gets hurt 03:27.679 --> 03:29.901 and , you know , help you out where you 03:29.901 --> 03:32.012 can , I would encourage all women who 03:32.012 --> 03:34.179 are interested , especially if they're 03:34.179 --> 03:36.179 um out in the , in the lock and dam 03:36.179 --> 03:38.860 part of it to apply to become a lock 03:38.869 --> 03:40.720 master job because it is a very 03:40.729 --> 03:43.899 prestigious . We've seen a lot of 03:43.910 --> 03:46.132 changes in 34 years and I'd like to say 03:46.132 --> 03:48.479 they're positive changes and like I 03:48.490 --> 03:50.712 said , you know , I'd encourage anybody 03:50.712 --> 03:52.823 that wanted to work with the Corps to 03:52.823 --> 03:54.990 come in and work . It's an opportunity 03:54.990 --> 03:56.879 for the person to grow into their 03:56.879 --> 03:56.690 career as well .