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92nd LRS trains alongside Army Reserve unit

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Joshua Chapman
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  The 92nd Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels management flight and the Minnesota-based Army Reserve 353rd Transportation Company trained hand-in-hand during a eight-day fuel transport exercise June 10-17.

An annual requirement for Air Force fuels flights, the 92nd LRS Airmen were tasked with proving the capability to receive fuels from a source outside normal operational means.

"Normally we receive our fuel from an underground pipeline. This exercise allowed us to work jointly with an Army transport unit to bring fuel in," said Staff Sgt. Craig Hatcher, 92nd LRS bulk storage supervisor.

The operation, Quartermaster Liquid Logistics Exercise 2008, included an inventory of 22 fuel trucks, and 17 associated support vehicles, including spare tractors and a small number of humvees and vans.

From Minnesota to western Washington, the line of trucks stampeded the highways, crossing five states in just under three days. The mission involved staging in Manchester and Yakima, transporting a total of 350,000 gallons of JP-8 jet fuel - the equivalent of about 40 KC-135 refueling missions.

"The Fuels Management flight was tasked with unloading the fuel as it came in - receiving was our mission," said Sergeant Hatcher. "Tight coordination with the 353rd Transportation Company was key, and from a training perspective, it gave our experienced Airmen the opportunity to teach younger Airmen how to work expediently, with quality and safety first in their minds."

In Washington, the 353rd TC troops began their operation in Manchester, where tank trucks were filled with aviation fuel. In Yakima, they prepared transport to Fairchild. Total distance travelled by all the trucks combined: nearly 172,500 miles, more than half the distance the moon from the earth.

"Their operation required a lot out of them," said Master Sgt. Bruce Mjelde, 92nd LRS fuels operations superintendent. "They travelled the distance, all the way from Minnesota to Washington, and continuously worked long hours to get the job done. We gave them everything we could to make sure that their training mission was as much a success as ours was."

At about 70,000 gallons per day, with many Airmen working nearly 15-hour shifts, timing was essential. "There were no windows of non-driving. For them to pull off this mission successfully everyone had to stay on the ball," said Sergeant Hatcher.

Sergeant Hatcher was pleased with the results of the joint exercise, emphasizing the importance of the joint role in the current deployment environment. "It was great working with the Army. This is something that more and more Airmen are doing every day during deployments. These Soldiers remained respectful to us and our base, despite the fact that they were all sleep deprived and spent their nights in tents or in sleeping bags on top of their trucks," he said.

Before venturing back to Minnesota, the 353rd TC Soldiers bedded down at Fairchild and received 1,500 gallons of diesel fuel from the 92nd LRS fuels flight. They left Fairchild with high spirits and voiced plans to return next year for another joint venture.