Barksdale POL Airmen add fuel to fight

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Allison M. Boehm
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
"I love the smell of jet fuel in the morning."

Not every Airman can say that, but for Staff Sgt. Robert Causey and other Airmen of the 2nd Logistic Readiness Squadron fuels flight, it's just another day on the job.

The fuels flight, which is dispersed into seven different specialties, bears the responsibility of storing, distributing and accounting for roughly 5 million gallons of fuel on Barksdale. They not only fuel all aircraft that fly into Barksdale, which is home to the Air Force Global Strike Command, but also provide fuel for all government vehicles on base, directly impacting the mission here.

The 2nd LRS fuels flight distributes approximately 40 million gallons of fuel to the 2nd Bomb Wing, 917th Air Reserve Wing, 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron along with transient aircraft annually.

But for the fuels flight, the job doesn't stop when the fuel is distributed. They test and sample all types of fuel the base uses to ensure the quality of fuel is the best.

"We are responsible for ensuring we have the highest quality of fuel which the Air Force relies on to fly, fight, and win," said Sergeant Causey, 2 LRS fuels laboratory technician. "We make sure the quality of ground products such as unleaded, diesel, and E-85 ethanol meets Air Force standards."

POL Airmen also perform cryogenic sampling of liquid oxygen to ensure the pilots have pure oxygen to breathe during their flights as well as perform quality check on the JP-10 missile fuel for the munitions squadron.

"We go through great lengths to make sure our customers are taken care of," said Senior Master Sgt. Matt Sides, 2 LRS fuels management flight superintendent.
From ensuring clean storage of fuel, to completing a speedy 12-minute aircraft response time, POL Airmen realize the importance of their job.

"Without POL, our aircraft would never make it off the ground," said Senior Airman Brandi Rae, 2 LRS fuels facilities operator. "It is a big responsibility making sure those jets are mission capable and we play a large role in that. At the end of the day, it's great knowing we make it happen."