Meet your local crew chief, Staff Sgt. Jo LePage

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ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  
Name: Staff Sgt. Jo LePage

Aircraft Assigned: HH-60G Pave Hawk

Squadron/Unit: 748th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 56th Helicopter Maintenance Unit

Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii

Why did you join the Air Force?
I knew I wanted to be a part of the Air Force from a young age. I'm a military brat, and I was in JROTC in high school, so I was familiar with what the military had to offer. The camaraderie and traveling are my favorite aspects of being a part of the Air Force.

What do you like most about being a crew chief?
I enjoy figuring out how something works and making helicopters fly. Knowing I'm making a difference in peoples' lives is an excellent reward. It's a great feeling, whether it's launching a helicopter for a combat, search and rescue mission, a deployed medical evacuation which also doubles to save a civilian's life with a patient transfer, or rescuing a civilian sailor on a ship who needs medical attention. It makes me happy when veterans and Army personnel come up to say thank you for keeping the helicopters on alert and rescuing us if we go down.

What has been your most rewarding moment as a crew chief?
I know how frustrating it is to recover a helicopter when it lands broken and requires days of troubleshooting. I remember as an Airman having a bad day, but my helicopter was waiting to take off. My production supervisor, knowing I was in a bad mood told me that I did a great job because my helicopter was flying. When you finally fix the problem and see your helicopter fly, it makes the days spent fixing the problem seem worthwhile. I'll never grow tired of that feeling.

For the commander

Why did you nominate this person?
Sergeant LePage is one of six dedicated crew chiefs assigned to the 56th HMU. During the unit's current deployment to Afghanistan, she has gone to many forward operating bases to provide maintenance support during medevac flights for key joint force operations. Her direct contributions in fixing aircraft led to a 95-percent mission capable rate during the deployment and allowing the unit to save eight lives and provide critical medical attention to 72 personnel.