Success accumulates, but fuels flight strives for more

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Paul Dean
  • 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
The trophy awarded May 4 to the 482nd Fighter Wing Logistics Readiness Squadron Fuels Flight is the latest in a long string of accomplishments for the unit. 

The American Petroleum Institute’ s annual Golden Derrick Award recognizes the flight as the best Air Force Reserve Command fuels section from a group of 39 units, said Mr. Jim Weldon, chief, fuels management systems, Headquarters, Air Force Reserve Command, here to present the trophy. The 482nd FW LRS Fuels Flight also earned the Golden Derrick Award in 1998, 1999 and 2001. 

“This is a continuance of the level of excellence we expect of ourselves in this section,” said unit fuels officer Maj. Luis Millares. “We start everything with the expectation that we are going to be the best at whatever we do,” he said. 

“[The award] is the ultimate accomplishment of the team effort we have here,” said flight superintendent Senior Master Sgt. Al Butler. “We stay focused on earning the respect of our peers: locally, in the [fuels] community and across the country,” he said. 

Areas of rating considered during the evaluation process include training, equipment, safety, mobility and facilities. And to be good just isn’t enough, said Don “Mac” McNeal, the 482nd FW’s civilian fuels chief. The evaluation comes down to how aggressively each unit surpasses the standards; to what degree a unit goes above and beyond expectations. 

A large part of the grading prior to 2002 considered the fuels teams as a whole: the day-to-day operations managed by civilians, and the traditional reservist part of the operation. But the Golden Derrick is now an award directed at identifying excellence in the reservist component of the fuels operation solely. Civilian and military portions of the operation often overlap, but the criteria are weighted to militarized parts of the job. 

“However you look at it, we still have a great team of civilians and military working together here,” said Sergeant Butler. 

The 482nd LRS Fuels Flight has been on the road to success for several years now, which undoubtedly helped in their preparedness for the AFRC/API rating team’s visit. The flight earned “Outstanding” ratings on the 2002 Unit Compliance Inspection, 2004 Operational Readiness Inspection, unit coins from the 10th Air Force Commander and 10th Air Force Inspector General and has been cited for best practices in quality control matrixes and training plan milestones. 

Several procedures and processes developed by 482nd LRS Fuels Flight are used as models AFRC-wide, said Sergeant Butler. 

“They’ve had one heck of a year,” said Lt. Col. Chuck Mood, 482nd FW LRS commander. “In fact the entire squadron has. I’m proud of each and every one of my troops,” he said. 

And Col. Mood has much to be proud of. The 482nd LRS also earned top honors with the 2005 AFRC Daedalian Maj. Gen. Warren C. Carter Logistics Effectiveness Award for a best logistics readiness squadron in support of a flying mission. 

“If anything, it was the people here that gave the team the edge,” said Mr. Weldon of the 482nd’s win. “The quality of the people, the professionalism, technical experience, the dedication… their overall performance,” he added. 

An award similar to the Golden Derrick is presented in the active duty and Air National Guard categories. There were 80 graded areas considered in the selection process for this year’s Air Force Reserve component award.