The term that I as an ex-refueling member just plain old disliked is slang for the JP-5 refueling guys. This comes from the fact we wore purple on the flight deck. Our helmet was purple and our life vest was purple as well. Every different position had a different color on deck. This was something the Navy started back during the early days of Naval aviation.

So we would be sitting in the oil shack and the phone would ring, “Adams, get the grapes on the deck.” I really disliked that. I suppose it was better than being one of the firemen, they wore red or the chain and chock guys, they wore brown.

When the helo came in for fuel we had to send two of us out on deck, the third guy was in the pump room. I communicated with this person with the sound powered phones from the flight deck. At first we circulated the fuel to get a nice clean sample to for the pilot. Then I would be given the thumbs up from the pilot. I then would tell the pump room operator to get ready to refuel the helo. He had to open a couple of valves before he could pump to the helo. Then we would fill’er up.

I stood there with my thumb up in the air to show we were pumping. The nozzle we used had a similar shut off to that of a pump we are all used to using. It would shut, I would get the cut it sign from the nozzle man, and I’d kill the pump. Then I would tell the pump room guy we were done. If it was a helo from a different squadron, then we would have to give him a receipt for his gas.

Our air det would also try to put one of their squadron stickers on the different helo. Just as an odd game of tag. One time we were refueling our helo during lunch time. The pilots did not have time to get out to eat, so they had lunch delivered. Our cooks made killer chili dogs so the pilot, co-pilot, and grew member had two each. I have never seen people eat chili dogs so fast.

Only in the Navy is a grape more than a piece of fruit.