Fort Bragg Command Honors Old Glory Express’ Work During Colonial Pipeline Shutdown
When a cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline’s IT network affected fuel deliveries throughout the East Coast last month, the Old Glory Express was the only one of Fort Bragg’s six gas stations that continually remained open throughout the shortage.
“All of Fort Bragg was going there for fuel,” said Amanda Hartfield, Fort Bragg Exchange general manager. “The lines were a mile-plus long just to get into the station, and that was pretty much from open to close.”
Fort Bragg Garrison Commander Col. Scott Pence, left, with Old Glory Express team members Carmen Griffin, Allison Lincourt, Angel Michael, Tina Hulin, Alex Dewberry, Wanda Sumner, Ryan Dickinson, Sandra Lambert, Zsa Zsa la Moore, Amanda Hartfield (Fort Bragg Exchange general manager), Daymond Moultrie, Madeline Salazar, and Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey A. Loehr
Associates, aided by military police, directed traffic. They told drivers which pumps to use based on what side of their car their gas tank was on. Fuel purchases were limited to 10 gallons, which allowed Old Glory to serve as many people as possible. Occasionally fuel ran out, but Hartfield said that those occurrences were brief.
Nobody complained. The Old Glory team kept the operation so smooth that Col. Scott Pence, Fort Bragg garrison commander, called it a flawless execution.
During an awards ceremony on June 1, Pence presented 12 coins to the Old Glory team, expressing his appreciation for Exchange support and emphasizing how important it is to the community. Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey A. Loehr, speaking on behalf of the enlisted community, also expressed his appreciation during the ceremony.
Drivers lined up for more than a mile to get fuel from the Old Glory Express during the Colonial Pipeline outage. The Old Glory team kept things running smoothly despite the lines.
“We are thankful for our AAFES partners on Fort Bragg,” Pence said. “The Fort Bragg Exchange’s commitment to prioritizing people first is in line with the Army’s Chief of Staff initiative with taking care of its people. The team behind the Exchange exemplified this initiative during the Colonial Pipeline fuel shortage. Their proactive response and collaboration with the command played a critical role in successfully managing the situation on Fort Bragg. The Exchange associates worked together with our military police and the communication flow with the command was extraordinary. What could have been a disaster was averted, and Soldiers, families and civilians drove away with enough fuel to get them through the shortage.”
The Old Glory Express, which usually sells 16,700 gallons of fuel a day, sold 422,000 gallons during the pipeline outage, or more than 23,400 gallons daily. The Exchange continually updated shoppers on the situation via its Facebook page. Steven Davalos, the Exchange’s fuel operations chief, helped the team communicate with carriers, drivers and fuel suppliers.
Troy Seymour, vice president of fuel operations, said that the Fort Bragg Exchange and the Old Glory Express all deserve kudos.
“It was a real team effort,” Seymour said. “Our team communicated directly with Amanda the whole time and made sure she was informed, and she did a great job communicating with customers and command about doing everything we could possibly do to get fuel in a challenging situation.”
