POLEX
The 475th Quartermaster Group is the United States Army Reserve's only Petroleum & Water Group. The 475th Quartermaster Group and its Petroleum Oil and Lubricant Exercise (POLEX) Down Trace units support Class III, Water and Corps Support Operations Other Than War. POLEX is an annual exercise that starts with engineer units performing environmental studies in the training areas and installing the pipeline and equipment. Petroleum units rotate throughout the summer, practicing their skills. At the end of the exercise, the last petroleum unit drains the water into an oxidation pond and engineer units return and disassemble the equipment.
During POLEX '97, the 475th Quartermaster Group encountered environmental restrictions on the wastewater being generated at their field laundry and bath sites. The Multi-functional Modular Fluid Filtration System [MMFFS] was used to remove all detergents and residuals from the wastewater, producing clear, clean water. These tests not only validated the capability of the MMFFS but also illustrated its usefulness to other quartermaster units in overcoming environmental restrictions.
POLEX `99 was a liquid supply exercise controlled by the 475 th Quartermaster Group. Numerous lessons learned about the storage and service life of petroleum tanks were gleaned at Petroleum Exercises (POLEX's) '98 and '99 at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. During POLEX '98, several 50,000-gallon collapsible tanks that had been used to store fuel during a reserve unit's annual training in 1997 were unfolded and inspected. The tanks had been manufactured in the fall of 1987 and put into service in June 1997. In several cases, fuel left in a tank had leaked through its walls, primarily in areas where the tank had been folded for repacking after use. Such tanks were deemed unserviceable and marked for turn-in.
On June 10th, 2000, more than 2,300 quartermaster and transportation experts arrived at Fort Dix, NJ, for POLEX 2000. Thirty-three petroleum handling units from the 77th, 81st 88th, 90th, 96th, and 99th RSCs participated. The annual training period includes testing driver training skills, petroleum hauling, bulk fuel handling and miles of hose for other units involved in the hauling water portion of the exercise. According to a review of previous annual training exercise seasons, POLEX 2000 was the most aggressive training so far for the installation.
High temperatures, sand storms, and tarantulas greeted members of the 380th Quartermaster Company (Petroleum Pipeline and Terminal Operations), from Evansville, Indiana, when they arrived at McGregor Range Camp for this years annual training. Unit members moved more than one million gallons of water during the two-weeks they participated in "POLEX 2001" held in the desert outside of El Paso, Texas. The "POLEX 2001" petroleum exercise involved units from all over the Western states.
On January 9, 2002 the Petersburg Support Office, part of Radian's Southeast Sector, announced the award of a sub-contract with Stanley Associates in support in of the Inland Petroleum Distribution System (IPDS) Joint Training Exercise (JTX) Module for the exercise POLEX West 2002. The award requires assisting in site surveys for the 475th Petroleum Group, Farrell, PA, under the Logistics Joint Administrative Management Support Services (LOGJAMSS) suite of contracts. The task award specifically addresses providing technical assistance at the location of the JTX module for POLEX West 2002 pipeline training for Engineer and Quartermaster units tasked with constructing and operating military pipelines. The survey will ensure proper placement and technical interface of the JTX components so as to operate as designed. In addition, this assistance will provide valuable training to the unit staff tasked with the pipeline mission.
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