"A lot," Lozano replied, before rushing off.
The ammo yard is divided into cells, one for "demo," one for "arti" and another for "pyro." These stand for demolition, artillery and pyrotechnic rounds. Some of the units that collect their ammo have their own cells where they can store and pick up the pieces that they need without waiting in line. But most units come in through the front gate and wait as the Marines rush to fill their orders in an organized frenzy.
"Our mission here is get the customer out of here as fast as possible," Chase said. "Everyone needs it immediately. Everything is an emergency. I tell my Marines basically to run themselves ragged."
Above, Lance Cpl. Jorg Lozano, 19, of Laredo, Tex., stacks 112-pound boxes of mortar shells at the BLAHA, or Basic Load Ammo Holding Area. At left, a sign reminds troops to bring back their empty ammunition cans. "Sometimes it's so busy we have to load the ammo by hand," Lozano said.
(Photos Jackie Spinner -- The Washington Post)
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Because of the massive amounts of artillery lobbed during the Fallujah offensive, logistics officers have been scrambling to make sure their units are adequately supplied. Inventory is measured in colors: green, amber, red and black. Green is a full supply and black means the ammo stock is empty.
"At no time have we gone black, but there have been many times we were getting really, really close," said 1st Lt. Johnny Fortenberry, 31, a Task Force 2-2 soldier with the Army's 1st Infantry Division.
As he drove across the military post, Fortenberry received a call over the radio telling him that he could pick up more 155mm rounds at the BLAHA.
"Roger," Fortenberry said into the radio. "Please give me a call when you get a final count. Over."
Castille said the Marines and soldiers have favored the larger explosives for the Fallujah operation.
"They love the stuff that goes boom," he said, walking through aisles of grenades and mortar shells in a spacious warehouse stacked with small-arms ammunition. "It's safer to throw one of these things into a building and then they can go in after it's clear."
Haney said the Marines supplying the ammo feel that they are part of the battle, even if they aren't fighting the insurgents face to face.
"If they didn't have us, they'd be lost," he said. "They wouldn't be able to fight. I feel really a part of what's going on out there."
With that, he spit out the juice from the tobacco chew stuffed in his left cheek.
