Camp Pendleton, California. (April 5, 2023): In this photo by Sergeant Maximiliano Rosas, Corporal Benjamin McDonald, a bulk fuel specialist with Bulk Fuel Company, 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group pumps excess seawater out of a liquid “bladder” during tactical operations on Silver Strand Beach, California.

Bulk Fuel Specialists install, operate, maintain, and repair fuel handling units and accessory equipment and test petroleum products used in amphibious assault vehicles. They are experts at hazardous materials management, and they test petroleum products to evaluate their quality. These professionals are responsible for refueling everything, from automobiles to jet aircraft, following strict safety protocols.

While the position of Bulk Fuel Specialists may not seem that glamorous, the mission they perform can easily decide the outcome of a battle. After all, what good is it for courageous Marines to seize a beachhead or liberate an airfield if you cannot get fuel, water, ammunition, and food to the troops and their vehicles. In fact, the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, also known as “Big Red”, has been so vital to military success that it has participated in the Viet Nam War, Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the war against terror in Afghanistan.

Today, Marine planners estimate that an expeditionary force would use 1.2 million gallons of fuel a day when conducting amphibious landings. Without experts at handling, storing, and distributing this precious commodity, even the finest military cannot succeed.