![]() She told her that her pronunciation and tone were not correct, but she said so in a constructive way. Then one teacher helped Petkovski achieve a breakthrough. "As an officer and a section leader the thought never crossed my mind," she said. Petkovski never thought about quitting though she was studying every night without her grades improving. "I admired their endeavor in learning the language." Although they had no background in Asian languages, they were amazingly perfecting the language," Petkovski said. "I was very proud of my enlisted classmates, though. Air Force Special Agent with the rest of the class being enlisted. "Not to be really dramatic, but you could mean to say you want to help somebody but really say you're going to hurt them," said Petkovski on the importance of getting the right tone.Īs an officer she did not want to embarrass herself in front of her classmates who were a U.S. Chinese taught in Korea does not utilize tone, which can differentiate the meanings of every single character. "I totally underestimated learning Chinese Mandarin," said Petkovski, having previously studied it in Korea. Afterward she was re-designated as a cryptologist, also known as an Information Warfare Officer, and got hand selected for DLIFLC to study Chinese Mandarin. Petkovski's first deployment was as an aviation maintenance duty officer for six months aboard the USS Harry S. Navy and attended Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, commissioning in 2000. I told the navy officer recruiter that I want to travel the world by ship," said Petkovski.ĭespite her height, Petkovski was able to join the U.S. Petkovski made her decision based on a brief visit to Naval Station Rota, Spain, but also out of her love for the white uniforms, famously featured in the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman" in the 1980s. From there she decided to join the active duty Navy. Instead, Petkovski channeled any negative feelings she had into her studies and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. "I thought about returning to Busan but my mother said, 'Josie, you've come too far to start over again in Korea,'" she said. She continued her postsecondary education in the midst of undergoing a few personal ordeals. However, in December 1993 Petkovski left for Germany spent three years there and then returned to the U.S. "But I loved being in the Army and getting to go to school." ![]() "That job doesn't exist anymore," Petkovski said, speaking of the tedious work of drawing technical designs by hand before computer-aided design. "I strived to pass basic training because I wanted it so bad," she said.Īfter graduation from basic and advanced individual training, also at Fort Leonard Wood, Petkovski became qualified as an 81B technical drafting specialist. Her second was getting through Army basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Petkovski's height was her first challenge in joining the military. The recruiter had to ask for a waiver from the Army for her to join. "Josie, you're too short," he replied, after measuring her height three times. The Army opportunities looked better to her than part-time retail or food service jobs, but when she entered the recruiter's office he told her that she is "not quite there yet." "One day I was sitting on the couch in the living room and I saw this commercial - Be all that you can be," said Petkovski of the Army's recruiting slogan from 1980 to 2001. Army Reserves, seeking education benefits. She then traveled for two months from Colorado to Florida to Chicago by Greyhound bus. in the 1980s to attend a wedding in Minnesota and visit her relatives in Florida. Originally from Busan, South Korea, she presently resides in San Juan Bautista, California, with her family, husband and a six-year-old daughter. So, Petkovski knows a thing or two about both learning languages and being in the military. She is also an alumnus of the Institute where she now teaches, having graduated from the Chinese Mandarin course in 2004. Petkovski is a new teacher at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Asian School II, better known as the Korean School. She has worn two of them as a Veteran of the U.S. Standing at a height of only four feet, 11 inches, one could be forgiven in thinking that Josephine "Josie" Petkovski may feel intimidated by the military uniforms that surround her every day. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – She is also an alumnus of the Institute where she now teaches, having graduated from the C. 7 at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Asian School II, better known as the Korean School. Josephine Petkovski teaches a Korean class Aug.
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