Photo By Sgt. Maj. Chris Seaton | Col. Timothy Edens, commander of Task Force XII, congratulates Spc. Kelvin Minton, a...... read more read more
By Sgt. 1st Class Chris Seaton
Multi - National Division - Baghdad
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – To the untrained eye, pumping fuel into an aircraft seems like a reasonably harmless activity. To those who've been around for a while, pumping a million gallons in just under four months, without incident, is a pretty big deal.
The Soldiers of the distribution platoon, Company E. 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, took over the mission Dec. 19 and hit the million gallon mark in early April. Their commanders say they've done it without spilling a drop.
"It's just a tremendous effort out here, and I'd say the most impressive part of all is that they've done it safely," said Lt. Col. Jay Macklin, battalion commander, who hails from Macon, Ga. "These guys are out here, usually before the blades stop spinning, ready to fuel ... . This is a very mission-focused group, and I'm real proud of them."
The platoon is responsible for "cold-refueling." While aircraft often fuel at forward arming and refuel points with the rotors spinning – known as "hot-refueling," much of the fuel is distributed with the engines turned off.
"A lot of times, it's more efficient to come and shut down and get 'cold gas' as opposed to burning more blade hours sitting on a hot FARP if you're finished with your mission," said Macklin.
"It's a constant hustle out here," said Sgt. 1st Class Dorian Green, distribution platoon sergeant, who is a Columbia S.C. native. "We work 12-hour shifts, 24-hours per day. In a typical day, we'll fill anywhere from 80 to 110 aircraft."
In a ceremony to recognize the one million gallon mark, Col. Timothy Edens, the commander of Task Force XII, honored the Soldiers and passed out Task Force XII commemorative coins to four of the best. He thanked them for their efforts, reminding them of just how important their work is to the brigade.
Without these guys, said Edens, all the aircraft on Taji would be nothing but a huge static display.
"It's fast paced job with a lot of moving pieces," said Spc. Andrew Myers, a Cleveland native. "There's a lot of stuff to deal with on the flight line. Everything has to be perfect to make sure things run smooth, and we keep the aircraft fueled."
| Date Taken: | 05.07.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 05.08.2008 10:53 |
| Story ID: | 19217 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 73 |
| Downloads: | 55 |
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