332nd ELRS fuels mission success

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Melanie Holochwost
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Mission-ready? Not without gasoline.

The 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels shop works 24/7 to ensure fuel is available at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, according to Staff Sgt. Rickey Easter, 332nd ELRS fuels distribution supervisor.

"Most Airmen only see us on the flightline, so they assume we only deliver fuel to aircraft," he said. "But, there is a lot of work we have to do before and after that. First, we order the fuel. After the fuel is delivered to us, we have to run several inspections to ensure the quality is up to par. Then, we off-load it at our fuels facility. From there, it is ready to go for Airmen to pump it into vehicles and for us to deliver it to the flightline."

Every night the fuels shop measures the fuel levels to keep accountability, Easter said.

"These numbers, along with the status of every piece of our equipment, go all the way up the chain of command to the Joint Chiefs of Staff every day," he said. "This information shows them our current mission capabilities so they can make warfighting decisions if they need to."

As soon as the fuel reaches the minimum required level, the process starts all over again, Easter said.

"Running out of fuel is not an option," he said. "When we hit that minimum level, we order more fuel as quickly as possible and ensure it is billed correctly."

If the unthinkable were to happen, pilots and flightline personnel wouldn't be the only ones affected, Easter said.

"Some of the facilities on base run on generators which require fuel," he said. "Without the fuels shop, there wouldn't be hot meals at the dining facility or internet access."

Although working with fuel is dangerous and complicated, Easter said he loves his job.

"I picked this career before I went to basic training and I'm very glad I did," he said. "It is very fulfilling. It doesn't matter if I am delivering fuel so a pilot can fly a mission or if that fuel is providing electricity to the base, I know I am a part of the mission