POL pumps propellant for power projection

Staff Sergeants Robert Head and Rogelio Guerrero, 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels technicians, roll barrels of aviation gas up a ramp to stack them for storage Sept. 24, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. AvGas is a high-octane aviation fuel used to power aircraft and racing cars. The barrels are stored on their sides to ease the stress on the barrels when the gas expands in the heat. Sergeant Head is a native of Elkhart, Ind., deployed from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., and Sergeant Guerrero is a native of San Antonio, Texas, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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POL pumps propellant for power projection

Senior Airman Emily Temple, 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels distribution operator, fills a fuel truck prior to aircraft operations Sept. 24, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Each fuel truck can hold more than 8,000 gallons of jet fuel. Airman Temple is a native of Alto, Mich., deployed from Wright-Paterson Air Force Base, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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Senior Airman Robert Cipriani, 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron crew chief, monitors fuel tank gauges on a C-130 Hercules for proper fuel distribution as approximately 11,000 gallons of fuel are pumped Sept. 24, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. JBB’s non-piston powered aircraft use jet propellant 8. Airman Cipriani is a native of Melborne, Fla., deployed from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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Senior Airman Stuart Brennan, 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels distribution technician, drags an aircraft refueling hose back to his fuel truck after a refueling a C-130 Hercules Sept. 24, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. In 1996, the U.S. military switched from jet propellant 4 to JP-8, which is less hazardous and has higher combat survivability. Airman Brennan is a native of Westerly, R.I., deployed from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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Staff Sgt. Jeremy DuBose, 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels lab NCO in charge, tests a sample of jet propellant 8 Sept. 24, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The fuels lab tests JP-8 for cleanliness, water content and flash point, ensuring safe, quality fuel for the aircraft. Sergeant DuBose is a native of Kingston, Tenn., deployed from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels technicians roll barrels of aviation gas off a forklift for storage Sept. 24, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The annual U.S. usage of AvGas was 186 million gallons in 2008. The barrels are stored on their sides to ease the stress on the barrels when the gas expands in the heat. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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Staff Sgt. Anthony Ochoa, 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron aviation gas operations NCO in charge, checks the security tags against a tag list to ensure the AvGas delivery truck wasn’t tampered with Sept. 24, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. AvGas is a high-octane aviation fuel used to power aircraft and racing cars. Sergeant Ochoa is a native of Las Vegas, Nev., deployed from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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Staff Sergeants Rogelio Guerrero and Anthony Ochoa, 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels technicians, put on protective equipment before filling liquid oxygen carts used to fill LOX converters on F-16 Fighting Falcons Sept. 24, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. LOX is gaseous oxygen cooled to -297 degrees Fahrenheit to transform it into a liquid state. Sergeant Guerrero is a native of San Antonio, Texas, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, and Sergeant Ochoa is a native of Las Vegas, Nev., deployed from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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Staff Sgt. Rogelio Guerrero, 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Fuel distribution supervisor, drains a liquid oxygen servicing hose for storage after filling a LOX cart, which is used to fill LOX converters, on F-16 Fighting Falcons Sept. 24, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Because of its cryogenic nature, liquid oxygen can cause the materials it touches to become extremely brittle. Sergeant Guerrero is a native of San Antonio, Texas, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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POL pumps propellant for power projection

Published Sept. 28, 2010
By Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield
332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq. -- In the aircraft maintenance community, sometimes one may hear rumblings of "without my shop, these planes wouldn't fly." Now a group not directly related to turning wrenches can add their voice to the maelstrom.

The 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadrons Fuels Management Flight monitors, tests and distributes all the jet propellant 8, aviation gas, liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen that gets passed to the aircraft flown in and out of Joint Base Balad, Iraq.

"If we don't do our job, planes can't go on missions and people may die," said Master Sgt. Robert Coulter, 332 ELRS fuels operations superintendant, a native of Quincy, Ill., deployed from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.