Photo By Cpl. Katherine Solano | Lance Cpl. Dillon Kelley, a bulk fuel specialist with Bulk Fuel Platoon, 9th Engineer...... read more read more
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE WHITEHOUSE, Afghanistan - There is a platoon within 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) that plays a vital role in every single ground operation conducted in the battlespace.
The small number of Marines with Bulk Fuel Platoon, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, are spread over 19 different locations in Helmand province and are responsible for a fuel storage and distribution capacity of almost 2.5 million gallons. At each of their locations, they refuel tactical vehicles before and after operations, refill generators powering the bases, and even provide fuel for Afghan National Security Forces conducting coalition missions.
The responsibility of providing fuel for every operation out of FOB Whitehouse falls on two bulk fuel Marines and an engineer who was augmented to the unit to assist with the daily operations.
“As a platoon, my Marines are doing the job of three companies,” stated Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Lee, the bulk fuel officer for the platoon.
Lee added that other companies throughout 9th ESB had stepped up to provide Marines to help support the fuel mission throughout the area. He pointed out how important it was for the battalion to come together to conduct large, widespread operations such as this.
The mission does not include simply refilling vehicles, Lee explained.
“We are trusted to safeguard coalition fuel,” he began. “It is our job to account for each gallon and to ensure it is all up to military specifications. All of our sites maintain environmental regulations.”
This standard is upheld from the highest levels of leadership down to the operators who actually distribute the fuel. A regional site manager for the platoon, Sgt. Xuchill Laput, enforces strict checks and operating procedures on a daily basis at his sites. He acknowledges that it is not actually necessary to conduct daily thorough checks of all of the equipment and fuel lines, nor to change and clean filters throughout the pump system as often as they do.
However, he points out that by keeping his Marines in the habit of doing those things, they enhance the efficiency and prolong the life of the fuel farm.
“There is a lot that goes into maintaining a site,” Laput, a native of Stockton, Calif., said. “This isn’t just a gas station.”
He continued by saying that it is the responsibility of bulk fuel Marines to ensure ground operations are able to run and that a crucial part of that is maintaining a clean, regulated, well-equipped fuel farm.
Lee concluded by saying the job his Marines do is very important because “without fuel, nothing can happen.”
The hard work of the bulk fuel Marines is a testament to the importance of their job. Fuel is the lifeline of any body of war, and Lee says his Marines do not take that responsibility lightly.
| Date Taken: | 01.21.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 01.24.2012 02:18 |
| Story ID: | 82743 |
| Location: | FOWARD OPERATING BASE WHITEHOUSE, AF |
| Web Views: | 254 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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