Aircraft structural maintenance craftsman displays 'Excellence in All We Do' Published Dec. 2, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Cory D. Payne 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- Name and Rank: Staff Sgt. Ashley Bevis Unit: 48th Equipment Maintenance Squadron Duty Title: Aircraft structural maintenance craftsman Time in Service: 9 years Time at Lakenheath: March 2004 - Sept. 2006; June 2011- present Hometown: Bandera, Texas Hobbies: Scuba diving, motorcycles, reading and anything outdoors Core Value Portrayed: "Excellence In All We Do" How does the individual portray that core value? Upon her arrival, she took control of the sections swing shift, supervising 16 personnel in three separate duty sections. Bevis was hand-selected to lead the first USAFE one-time safety inspection of F-15 canopy sill longerons for possible cracks. She led the field-level validation/verification team to complete the inspection seven hours early and helped engineers develop critical safety inspection requirements for the entire F-15 fleet. Why is serving in the Air Force important to you? My grandfather retired from the Air Force after 21 years of honorable service and I love walking in his shoes. I believe it is truly important to serve and protect a country that has given me so much and molded me into the strong person I am today. What accomplishment during your Air Force career are you most proud of? Being hand selected to help the Australian Air Force repair a bird strike to a C-130's leading edge of a wing while deployed. I was asked to train and educate their technicians on sheetmetal and corrosion practices after the repair was done. It was a very rewarding experience to share the tid-bits of knowledge my grandfather and the USAF imparted to me. What are your personal and/or professional goals? My personal goals include learning three different languages and achieving my bachelor's degree. I continue to learn and better myself as a sheetmetal technician and a supervisor. I would also like to achieve the rank of Chief Master Sgt. What is your favorite part of your job? Being able to totally reconstruct or repair an aircraft part so that it can meet its sortie. There is something enthralling about cutting a chunk of damaged aircraft away to replace it with a stronger or better repair.