Photo By Cpl. Katherine Solano | Sgt. Xuchill Laput, a regional fuel farm site manager with Bulk Fuel Platoon, 9th...... read more read more
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Story by Cpl. Katherine M. Solano
2ND MLG (FORWARD)
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WHITEHOUSE, Afghanistan - From a young age, Sgt. Xuchill Laput, a fuel farm manager with 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), never really considered another option beside joining the military.
While he originally enlisted to become a combat engineer, over the years, Laput has come to appreciate the importance of being a bulk-fuel Marine. He recognizes that almost every mission requires fuel, and it is up to the Bulk Fuel Platoon to keep that mission motoring.
Laput says his interest in the military was solidified by one man in particular: his Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps instructor in high school, retired Senior Chief Petty Officer Mark Williams. While attending Lincoln High School in Stockton, Calif., Laput stayed involved with the JROTC program and says he learned so much from it. To this day, he continues to return to visit his mentor.
“I grew up without a strong male figure,” began Laput. “(Williams became) that figure for me in a lot of ways. He didn’t tell me what to do, but he gave me advice on how to do the right thing, even in hard situations.”
It is this lesson that Laput says has carried over most throughout his Marine Corps career, in general and as a bulk-fuel specialist. He says that everyone, not just Marines, should wake up in the morning with a goal to do the right thing throughout the day. This attitude carries over into his daily routine, which has led to Laput’s appointment as the regional site manager.
Laput stressed the fact that every morning at the fuel farm, he and his Marines wake up early and go through an extensive checklist of all of the equipment.
He further explained the checklist procedures to include walking every inch of the fuel lines looking or searching for leaks and tears, checking valves, cleaning filters and ensuring logbooks are accurate. While these procedures do not necessarily need to be done every day, the habit solidifies Laput’s belief in doing the right thing.
The fact that Laput strives to do the right thing leads to other favorable attributes like leadership by example.
“I can’t expect my Marines to do the checks and keep the farm up if I don’t get up early and do it with them,” Laput said.
His dedication to maintaining high standards at the Forward Operating Base Whitehouse fuel farm led his leadership to give him more responsibility. More specifically, Laput is now a manager of not one, but four fuel farms in the area. He says he intends to implement the same routine to keep military specifications and environmental regulations up to code at all four sites.
“The Marine Corps has taught me to make do with what you have,” Laput concluded. “I’m going to take care of all the Marines (at each site). In turn, they will take care of the fuel farms.”
| Date Taken: | 02.03.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 02.02.2012 20:22 |
| Story ID: | 83253 |
| Location: | FORWARD OPERATING BASE WHITEHOUSE, AF |
| Web Views: | 133 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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