36th LRS earns best fuel flight in PACAF

by Senior Airman Robert Hicks
36th Wing Public Affairs

2/24/2013 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam  -- The 36th Logistics Readiness Squadron Fuels Management Flight won the American Petroleum Institute Award for best fuels flight in Pacific Air Forces for 2012.

"Winning this award goes to show that the flight's hard work paid off," said Senior Master Sgt. Bruce Dollard, 36th LRS Fuels Management Flight superintendent. "The Airmen now realize it's not just another gallon on an aircraft, but there's a bigger mission were supporting."

To win the API Award, the flight must excel in three categories: direct mission support, innovative management and quality of life programs.

In 2012, the flight directly supported and trained personnel temporarily assigned here from 30 bases worldwide in support of six joint-combat exercises. These exercises focused on training joint and coalition forces, both on the ground and in the air over Guam and the islands of Micronesia.

During Cope North 12, a trilateral exercise between the U.S., Japanese Self-Defense Force and the Royal Australian Air Force, the joint-refueling force issued 5.7 million gallons of JP-8 fuel to sustain more than 1,000 multinational combat training sorties.

In September 2012, the fuels flight also supported exercise Valiant Shield by issuing 4.1 million gallons of JP-8 fuel, generating 2,000 combat sorties.

"No base outside the active combat zone operates with this unique joint mission or performs vital Air Force strategic functions like we do," said Chief Master Sgt. John Reed, 36th LRS Fuels Management Flight fuels manager.

The 36th LRS Fuel Management Flight also stood out amongst the rest of their competitors in the innovative management section when they teamed up with the 36th Civil Engineer Squadron to tackle Guam's corrosive environment.

The two squadrons came up with a plan to extend the life of their refueling fleet by performing daily on-the-spot corrosion touch ups for rust, paint chips and chains as well as washing harmful residue off the trucks every five days and sending them to a dedicated booth at DZSP-21 for paint touch ups.

"Our corrosion control program is benchmarked in PACAF, using our program as a standard for other bases throughout the command," Dollard said.

Along with excelling in the other two categories, the fuels flight also did well in the quality of life section. A couple of the Airmen took the initiative to convert an unused preventive maintenance storage bay into their very own Pacific POL Warrior Fitness Center.

"We wanted to ensure 100 percent of our Airmen have the opportunity to engage in fitness 24/7," Dollard said. "This endeavor highlights the chief of staff of the Air Force focus on the physical training program. We also increased our PT test pass rate from 84 to 96 percent."

Team Andersen's 36th LRS Fuels Management Flight will continue on later this year to compete at the Air Force level.