Pieces to a puzzle: 354 LRS Airmen fuel RF-A 16-2

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cassandra Whitman
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Jets are heard in the distance overhead and 354th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels Airmen know it’s their time to shine.

As just one piece of the Eielson team, these Airmen fire up their engines and get to the flight line to do their part for RED FLAG-Alaska 16-2.

“On a typical day during RF-A, drivers come in and we coordinate the flying schedule with our control tower,” said Staff Sgt. William White, the 354th LRS NCO in charge of fuels distribution. “Once everyone knows what’s happening, our drivers hit the flight line.”

The fuels Airmen prepare for RF-A in numerous ways, including coordinating schedules to align assets and pre-staging trucks for efficiency, White stated.

Many different facilities and shops help the fuels Airmen complete their mission. From the dining facility providing boxed lunches for the drivers who are on the flight line all day, to vehicle maintenance Airmen assigned to the fuels trucks keeping vehicles operational, they all fit like a giant puzzle and come together to ensure the RF-A mission stays afloat, White explained.

Despite all the different facilities coming together, time can still be a challenge.

“We try to juggle time while supporting RF-A to get all of the jets fueled with a limited amount of people,” said White. “It’s not just our shop, but many different shops around the base support us in this.”

Airman 1st Class Sheldon Carpentier, a 354th LRS fuels distribution operator, said putting people in the right position to give the best response time can also be difficult, but communication helps ease the difficulties faced.

“Communication with the other units that do things differently than we do is crucial,” said Master Sgt. Archie Obiacoro, the 354th LRS fuels section chief. “It also affords us interoperability, especially working with the Marines as a part of this fuels flight.”

A unique experience the fuels Airmen gain is working hands-on with the units that come, including the foreign air forces.

“Our drivers have daily interaction with the foreign militaries,” said White. “A lot of times they become good friends and exchange coins and patches.”

The main opportunity RF-A affords not only the fuels flight, but all organizations and participants on base, is training, said White.

“We strive to do our jobs better, faster and with less cost while still providing the best support we can,” White said. “After each RF-A, we sit down and discuss what we did well and what could be improved to enhance our mission for next time.”

From the cryogenics support to the fuels lab, many different parts of fuels distribution go into the RF-A mission.

“We aim to supply all aircraft as quickly and safely as possible and ensure our Airmen get the training they need,” White said.