Liberty Spotlight: Senior Airman Fries Published June 10, 2015 By 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- Name and Rank: Senior Airman Christopher Fries Unit: 48th Operations Support Squadron Duty Title: Weather Forecaster Time in Service: 4 years Time at RAF Lakenheath: 10 months Hometown: Modesto, Calif. Hobbies: Fishing, paintballing, gaming, cooking and traveling Core Values Portrayed: Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence In All We Do How does the individual portray these core values? Fries was submitted for a Liberty Spotlight by Staff Sgt. Ashley Boyd, 48th Operations Support Squadron airfield support function manager. According to Boyd, over the short amount of time that Fries has been stationed at RAF Lakenheath, he has repeatedly demonstrated acts of selflessness and Service Before Self. Recently, he stepped up during a personnel shortfall by working 20 extra hours over the course of two weeks to ensure all aircrews received highly detailed and accurate weather briefings in person each day. Furthermore, he built and briefed the weather deployment package for the 493rd Fighter Squadron's movement to Iceland in support of Icelandic Air Policing. His accurate weather forecast for a 1,000-mile route, as well as two air refueling tracks, ensured the timely and safe arrival of $140 million in assets. He also helped revamp the weather station's evacuation checklist, ensuring a quicker and more streamlined process during contingency and emergency situations. He is an exceptional team player who puts in additional work hours without any objections while maintaining outstanding professionalism in his duties. Why did you join the Air Force? I joined the Air Force to further my education as well as to have a successful career. How does your job support the mission of the 48th Fighter Wing? We provide daily weather products, which help in accomplishing both the flying mission as well as resource protection on base. What drives you as an Airman? I am driven by the continued desire to enhance my job knowledge and make sure that I can provide the best tailored product to my customers so they can accomplish their mission. What skills do you possess that set you apart from others? I am good under pressure, and I'm flexible when it comes to constantly changing conditions which can affect flying. What has been your favorite place to travel in England/Europe, or where would you like to travel to? My favorite places so far have been Amsterdam and Greece. I'm still hoping to see more of Europe.