Photo By Sgt. Marco Gutierrez | Army Reserve Spc. Maurice Cornish and Spc. Chaunce Brasher, petroleum supply...... read more read more
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. - The purpose of the Quartermaster Liquid Logistic Exercise (QLLEX) going on at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Hurst is to give Army Reserve Soldiers a chance to do a real world mission in which they transport fuel and water from one location to the real world customers just as they would in a combat zone. A vital part of that mission rests on the shoulders of petroleum supply specialists. The QLLEX and the Combat Service Support Exercise Global Lightning 2015 that it operates as part of is also one of the largest Army Reserve training exercises in the country where thousands of soldiers participate annually.
“This training is very similar to what we do in an actual combat zone.” Said Staff Sgt. Brian Aikins, a petroleum supply specialist with the 233rd Quartermaster Detachment from Scranton, Pennsylvania.
While the job never changes, the situation does. Army Reserve petroleum supply specialists are tasked with setting up distribution sites, collection sites and retail points for fuel. The fast changing environment for this mission often makes the training new and different.
Flexibility is always necessary to successfully carry out this mission. Sometimes the Soldiers of the 233rd QM Det show up to a site that is already setup, and other times they have to build it from scratch, said Aikins.
The mission has also been a great training experience for the junior enlisted soldiers, who have been put in charged of tasks they normally would not have a chance to work with in a regular weekend Battle Assembly (BA).
“I been put in charged of setting up the fuel pump, making sure the fuel point got put together properly, and working on getting soldiers motivated,” said Army Reserve Spc. Chaunce Brasher, a fuel supply specialist with the 233rd QM Det.
“The more we do it, the more efficient we can get at it, the more we can train our soldiers, so we want to train as many of our soldiers as we can and be proficient as we can,” said Staff Sgt. Shawn Isby fuel supply specialist with the 233rd QM Det. when explaining the importance of the training during CSTX Global Lightning 2015.
On this particular day the members of the 233rd QM Det. had to deal with a leak in a fuel bag, explained Brasher.
“One of the fuel bags was leaking fuel so we had to transfer the fuel to one of the other bags,” explained Aikins.
That task seemed simple enough, but with temperatures in the mid 90s by early afternoon, the soldiers had to work as a team and work fast to get the mission done.
Especially when moving the pipes and equipment that can weigh over 60 pounds.
“We all come together really well. Things run smoothly even when there is a leak or something goes wrong. We are able to fix any problem quickly because we work together,” said, Brasher.
The 233rd QM Det. showed that with team work, motivation and good training no challenge is too big and they can keep supplying fuel to keep the mission running.
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.15.2015 20:38 |
| Story ID: | 166736 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 240 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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