R-11's, R-12's, refueling: Mildenhall fuels Airman, Harrisonburg native, gets the fuel to the fight

Photo By Master Sgt. Jenifer Calhoun | Airman 1st Class Matthew Jackson, a fuels distribution apprentice with the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels management flight pulls out a hose on an R-11 fuels truck at the fuels flight compound at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia on Feb. 1. Jackson is deployed from the 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, England, and his hometown is Harrisonburg, Va.  

(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

02.28.2010

Story by Senior Airman Jenifer Calhoun 

380th Air Expeditionary Wing

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- A KC-10 Extender can hold up to 55,000 gallons of fuel which it uses to complete its daily refueling missions over Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas. When the call comes to fill the plane with jet fuel, Airman 1st Class Matthew Jackson is one of the 44 Airmen in the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron who is ready to get the job done.

"We refuel most of our aircraft with R-12 fuel trucks that pump fuel through our state-of-the-art, type III hydrant system," Jackson said. "The R-12 truck is one of the newest Air Force trucks used for refueling operations."

Jackson is a fuels distribution apprentice deployed from the 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, England. At the 380th ELRS fuels management flight, he works in a unit that in 2009 helped coordinate the pumping of 188,040,711 gallons of fuel to 9,557 aircraft. For the year, that's an average flow of more than 515,000 gallons of fuel each day.

"In fuels distribution, we are responsible for refueling all the aircraft on the base and to make sure that if anyone else needs fuel, they receive it promptly," said Jackson, whose hometown is Harrisonburg, Va.

In doing his deployed job, Jackson operates mobility fuels equipment such as the R-11 and R-12 fuels trucks to refuel aircraft. According to his Air Force specialty job description, he also maintains and operates petroleum-related facilities and equipment and performs quality analysis on products. Additionally, he performs operator maintenance on fuels handling equipment and facilities and prepares receipt, inventory and issue documents for fuels products accounting.

Additionally, besides KC-10's, Jackson and his fellow fuels Airmen refuel E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control, U-2 Dragonlady and RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft. Fuel operations, he said, is what drives the mission in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and at this non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia.

"As the second largest deployed refueling operation in the world for the Air Force, there's no question we are busy," said Jackson, referring to a deployed operation that off-loads up to 60 tank trucks a day -- the equivalent of about 600,000 gallons per day -- of fuel for land-based vehicles as well as aircraft.

In joining the military a year and a half ago, Jackson said he's glad to be doing something that has a direct impact on the deployed mission. He said he also knows his family is proud.

"I feel really good to be doing what I'm doing," Jackson said. "It's especially good when I have my family, and even random people, telling me, 'Thank you for your service.' When I hear that and also that their proud of me it tells me I made a good decision by joining the service."

Jackson said he also serves because he's carrying on the family tradition. "I'm proud to be in the Air Force, especially since my father retired from it," he said. "He paid his service to his country and now it's my turn to do the same. It's kind of a family tradition now and maybe one day I'll have a son to keep it going after me."

The 380th ELRS is an attached unit of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. The 380th AEW is comprised of four groups and 12 squadrons and the wing's deployed mission includes air refueling, surveillance, and reconnaissance in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia. The wing supports operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

• Date Taken: 02.28.2010
• Date Posted: 02.28.2010 05:06
• Story ID: 45946
• Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)