WEBVTT 00:00.922 --> 00:02.012 - [Announcer] Morale is the lifeblood 00:02.012 --> 00:03.834 that enables militaries around the world 00:03.834 --> 00:07.051 a resiliency necessary for winning today's fight. 00:07.051 --> 00:09.184 Airman Coates shares how her humor in comics 00:09.184 --> 00:12.184 offer airmen an escape from reality. 00:12.746 --> 00:15.474 - Pretty much, it's about the air force. 00:15.474 --> 00:18.495 Whether it makes fun of it or not is another story. 00:18.495 --> 00:19.828 But I started it 00:21.889 --> 00:24.120 cos it was something to do on the weekends mostly. 00:24.120 --> 00:26.215 It's definitely my escape. 00:26.215 --> 00:29.215 It unwinds me at the end of the day. 00:29.358 --> 00:30.886 - [Announcer] Airman Coates is responsible 00:30.886 --> 00:32.938 for the maintenance of runways, lighting 00:32.938 --> 00:35.358 and other airfield components and systems 00:35.358 --> 00:37.743 and helps ensure all takeoffs and landings 00:37.743 --> 00:40.055 can proceed without incident. 00:40.055 --> 00:42.764 - Being an airman, you get to see the world. 00:42.764 --> 00:45.379 Never thought in a million years I'd see Japan. 00:45.379 --> 00:46.212 Never. 00:46.212 --> 00:48.699 I always wanted to, but here I am. 00:48.699 --> 00:50.860 And being part of a mission 00:50.860 --> 00:53.610 and seeing things, seeing planes, 00:53.632 --> 00:54.917 seeing everything come together, 00:54.917 --> 00:56.313 it's an amazing feeling. 00:56.313 --> 00:57.727 - [Announcer] Much of Coates' inspiration 00:57.727 --> 01:00.364 stems from books and other graphic novels she read 01:00.364 --> 01:03.035 growing up in Apple Valley, California. 01:03.035 --> 01:04.925 - I read a lot of Harry Potter, 01:04.925 --> 01:08.008 I read a lot of The Lord of the Rings 01:09.461 --> 01:13.628 and their worlds were just so much cooler than anything 01:13.795 --> 01:15.545 that I was a part of. 01:16.341 --> 01:19.404 And my sister, just the stories I got to hear 01:19.404 --> 01:22.319 cos she was deployed a lot and I got to talk to her. 01:22.319 --> 01:24.171 It was just like a completely different world 01:24.171 --> 01:25.504 that she was in. 01:27.159 --> 01:29.426 And I wanted something different. 01:29.426 --> 01:31.541 - [Announcer] Then at age 24 she made the leap 01:31.541 --> 01:33.763 following the advice of her sister 01:33.763 --> 01:35.818 and joined the air force. 01:35.818 --> 01:38.082 - I was always a dragon slayer, I was always like a knight, 01:38.082 --> 01:39.037 a knight in shining armor. 01:39.037 --> 01:41.082 I always wanted to be in the military 01:41.082 --> 01:43.999 and protect people and save people. 01:44.779 --> 01:48.529 I joined the air force in December 15th 2015. 01:49.601 --> 01:53.137 I joined it because I wanted to be exactly like my sister. 01:53.137 --> 01:55.018 - [Announcer] Her sister said she's incredibly proud 01:55.018 --> 01:56.988 of the person she is today. 01:56.988 --> 02:00.532 Imagining, however, a world without her art, Coates said. 02:00.532 --> 02:02.027 - I would have nothing. 02:02.027 --> 02:03.468 I would just come home and I would sit 02:03.468 --> 02:05.268 and I would play video games all day 02:05.268 --> 02:07.327 and get nothing done with my life. 02:07.327 --> 02:09.128 There's nothing wrong with video games 02:09.128 --> 02:11.795 but it's nice to have a balance. 02:12.152 --> 02:13.554 - [Announcer] Looking to the future 02:13.554 --> 02:16.822 Coates said she's not letting anything hold her back 02:16.822 --> 02:18.625 as she crafts her life's story 02:18.625 --> 02:20.576 through visual interpretations 02:20.576 --> 02:24.072 that embody her essence as an artist and airman. 02:24.072 --> 02:27.357 - You can look at, you can Google anything and find it. 02:27.357 --> 02:28.844 Drawing, it's you're creating your own thing 02:28.844 --> 02:31.210 that no one's ever seen before. 02:31.210 --> 02:33.960 I like to share that with people.