European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 9, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday april 9. 1969 the stars and stripes Page 9 by no film is Bureau hohenfe1-s. West Germany spec. Charles Travis snuffed Oul his last cigarette and climbed lip to ride Shotgun in the cab of a fuel Tanker. These Are the grinding 5-ton trucks that bottleneck traffic on autobahn 3 Balw can Nurnberg and the parse org exit where military vehicles turn off for the combat Man Euver training Center. And. If Righi ins Ever starts i desc Are the soldiers who would drive gasoline into combat. Above the sound of the Road. Travis explained that he d spent nine years i in infantryman including a Vietnam tour in 1.969 and set nos of fort Lewis Wash. Port Polk in. And fort Hood. Tivas. In Lic mid-1970s, he got put and got a service station in Houston bit during the Oil Boom. Uus Inos never was any Good in Houston. Tra \ i said nol for me us he joined up again about a year ago and found 1 liar self hauling fuel for Anspach s 1st army Lviv. One work War 11-correspondent called them an epic who trove pnsolini1 trom the f beachhead u i he front links Ever farther Sway. After the \ breakout from Normandy the units from the 3rd army i advanced so for v fail. Dial the Supply convoys the i bullets Beans and Gas could t Sicin up. So it Gen. 1 Grange. S. 1 Atton or. Launched the red fall of press. A Fleet of trucks that drove around Ike clock to deliver fuel i to inc advancing Lank columns at its Heigh in Early september i "44. The impress Monopoli cd 75 percent of the non combat Allied 1 ". If you give a Soldier in combat the Choice f Between food and fuel hell take the Samuel Meek trucks in furopi.1i ii Tenn insisted Hal he could have finished Hie War months earlier saving thousands of american and German lius. If ins gasoline had t been diverted 16 the and disastrous airborne inva Sion of use Netherlands that went Down in history As a Bridge i of i in " by the end of Hio a armoured cd Vinco into Ilse heart of Oumar More often lulled by dry Luck tanks than hike officer from tile. 2nd army t3iv. Wal Mcd in Northern Cal tier Naisy said frankly if you wanted 0 Stop a a Tucal unit probably the Best a to to Oill is if Tut his umbilical word and that s How we Plitt to the russians strike deep cuisine their Supply lines Cut the rus Sun Soldier s Supply and hell he like the Oerr nans at she end of world War 11, hell have to a off his tank and walk 1st army div fuel sergeant said the Riis Slizis As Well As he americans Are set up Lojo into Wilile with a Liclan i Oino it Load meaning both tides want to travel fast and ii it taping to steal the other Guy s food and fuel father than carry Battles Likely would be fast and furious with lithic of a red Salt express keeping up to Battles at Ihen a s combat Man Euver training Center Aren t real but the gasoline is and a modern Lank can Burn 5 Gallons for Esery Nile of hard dring. First army div logisticians said i hair vein Les use about cations of gasoline during a hut s starry $1 million m poit Exchange pump Prues although the ring. Presumably does t pay so member fun platoon is assigned to a co 123rd support in and soldiers like 1 a is work song hours to keep she tanks roiling. The i9-Ycar-old for Mer infantry min Semi he in t sure hell slam in this Lime. He just wanted to Sec some More army action before he a Rcpt too Aid if 1 do decide to eel Back out i i get a sen ice station and a truck of my own know a Liziie bit1 More Abou uhe Busi Ness spec Cli Orts i pm is stands Tiht n full ii isl As he pumps a Sollic from int Tanker to Annahi a in 1 of hens. A lot of the 1st army div s fuel Lake the gasoline business seriously Napoleon said an army Irav Cis on its stomach. But if of give a Soldier in Inmai Ilse Cloice he Iween food and master sgt. Haniel Meek said he Blakc the fuel after an infantry tour of Vietnam m 1967 and fort poll in 68, Nuttek decided he Nec Ltd an easier line of work he started pumping arme ii Lac. Bui in 1.960 he was Back . Therewa s one Tim two were swi lore up pretty bad he recalled they were Mede a my the wounded out and we were refuelling flip helicopters so they could go out again i had a Hose bust on me. So just stood up to my Ankles in Jim Gas to it up that fuel coming because i knew it wus for the. Kids getting today Meck s Job is to keep pack of the Divi Sion s fuel and to keep n flowing hut he said the dirty work is All done by the younger lower ranking soldiers. Lie has twice lobbied inc pc Neon. Trying to get hazardous duty pay for his fuel handlers no no Luck. They Houchi a did Start gelling re enlisting no bonuses a Sourile of years ago Meek lapses into near poetry when lie talks about gasoline describing lactic ii storage Dunspa As the heart of the division and inc gasoline in self As the. Lifeblood that will be pumped downstream to get the body to the Man downstream is spec. Russell Sanders from the 1st in 37
