Engineer association awards Yuma Marines

The program, established in 1995, recognizes the outstanding engineer achievements of individual Marines and the work of Corps and Navy organizations.

While on deployment in Afghanistan, the squadron’s bulk fuel section pumped 2,022,976 cubic tons of fuel into various tactical vehicles and aircraft. They also built fueling stations to support the historic 2.2-million-square-foot aluminum matting airfield at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, the largest airfield ever constructed of aluminum matting in a combat zone.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Bradley Kussatz, fuels branch officer in charge, received the Marine Corps bulk fuel officer of the year award, while maintenance management noncommissioned officer in charge, Cpl. Joshua Yost, placed first in the Marine Corps bulk fuel Marine of the year award.

Both Marines were pleased to hear of their awards.

“It always feels good to get awards,” said Kussatz who was also runner-up in the bulk fuel officer of the year category for the 2010 American Petroleum Institute awards. “I was pretty excited when I found out,” said Yost, an Ava, Miss., native, “I’m just honored that others in my job field chose me to be recognized for my work.”

While the Marines were pleased by the recognition, both attributed their success to the Marines working for and with them.

“It was a team effort,” said Kussatz. “However, Yost took every challenge we gave him and accomplished the mission, no matter what it cost him personally.”

“I can’t gloat about the award,” said Yost. “It was a shop effort. In my eyes it was the shop who really won the award.”

Yost volunteered on many occasions for additional duties on top of his normal workload.

“Anything they needed done I did,” said Yost. “If they needed another body to go on a 48 hour watch I volunteered, if they need an auxiliary driver for a convoy I’d raise my hand and do what needed to be done.”