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Two 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Airmen pump more than 2 million gallons

by Staff Sgt. Francesca Popp

Two Airmen assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron each set a record for November. Senior Airmen Matthew Turner and Chrystanya Morgan-Buford, 379th ELRS Fuels Management Flight distribution operators, each passed more than 1 million gallons of fuel to aircraft supporting the Global War on Terrorism.

Senior Airman Matthew Turner, a fuels distribution specialist with the 379th Logistics Readiness Squadron, monitors the outgoing fuel pressure on an R11 fuel truck feeding a thirsty KC-135 Stratotanker.

This milestone can take an Airman a long time to accomplish elsewhere, according to Capt. Kristy Herman, 379th ELRS Fuels Management Flight commander.

"It is almost unheard of that an airman will pump 1 million gallons in a month," said the captain, who is deployed from the 28th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. "At (this forward-operating location), it is possible because of how much flying is done here; however, it still is rare. These two are the first in this rotation to pump a million gallons in just 30 days, and what makes it so significant is that two people did it in the same month. I haven't heard of that happening here before. At any other base, for one individual to pump a million gallons takes months or more often, years."

Airman Turner loaded and unloaded 1,132,619 gallons of fuel onto 250 aircraft. He set a goal for himself to reach this mark at the beginning of his deployment.

"I take a lot of pride in what I do and when you set a goal for yourself and complete it, it is a great sense of accomplishment," said the Airman, who is deployed from the 9th LRS, Beale AFB, Calif. "It feels righteous."

Airman Turner, a native of Apopka, Fla., said this was the third time he's reached the million-gallon mark. He deployed here from January-May 2005 and was the first person to pump more than a million gallons twice in two separate months. While this is Airman Turner's second deployment, Airman Morgan-Buford said this is the first time she's deployed. She arrived here in September and issued 1,035,184 gallons of fuel to 231 aircraft in November.

Fuels distribution specialists, Senior Airman Matthew Turner, left, and Senior Airman Chrystanya Morgan-Buford, pumped a total of 2,167,803 gallons of fuel to 481 aircraft in one month - a milestone. Both Airmen, assigned to the 379th Logistics Readiness Squadron, work 12-hour shifts in support of Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom issuing fuel to the large inventory of aircraft.

"I was able to hit my goal and represent my flight for this rotation. I am excited that I was able to make the (flight's) wall of fame too," said the Sacramento, Calif., native, who is deployed from the 374th LRS, Yokota Air Base, Japan. She added she currently has the most gallons of fuel pumped in the area of responsibility and hopes to be named "Pumper of the AOR" at the end of the tour.

Between the Airmen, they filled a sport utility vehicle with enough gas so it could be driven around the world about 1,828 times.

The Airmen said there is "friendly competition" among flight members to see who can dispense the most fuel every month. Each person tracks the amount of fuel they load to or unload from an aircraft. The final gallons of fuel pumped are calculated at the end of each month. At that time, the "Pumper of the Month" and "Defuel King or Queen" is named, thus going on the flight's wall of fame.

The fuels flight here issues more than 20 million gallons of jet fuel to more than 2,000 aircraft monthly. She said the only other base that would come close the dispensing the most fuel is Ramstein AB, Germany, with 9 million gallons per month.

"(We are) the busiest fuels flight in the Air Force and possibly Department of Defense," the captain said. "No one else can compare to what we're doing here."

The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Airmen, deployed for Aerospace Expeditionary Force 3/4, dispense fuel to U.S. and coalition tankers, fighters, bombers, and cargo and reconnaissance aircraft, as well as all transient aircraft.

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