I work on the environmental side on a Marine base.
I am not buying that story that GL personal cut the hoses and drained the fluids. Sorry, I can not see it happening. Unless you tell me that the area was sealed off with crime seen tape, and the base spill response teams were there. Along with base crime units.
We take any type of spills very serious. If ONE hose had just busted on it's own, there would be a spill response team on sight, the base fire department, and if you got there late, the area would be dug up if it was dirt.
Now, when we turn in equipment, it can not have any fluids in it. I have seen hose cut, fuel cells punctured to remove all fluids before turn in. On every piece of gear we turn in that had fluids in it, I am not making this up, we have to "sample" the fluids before turn in, to make sure the unit did not have a killer oil in the gear box. After the sample comes back clean. All fluids are drained (read oil plugs pulled, hoses cut, holes punched in cells), then, we have to write on the unit that all fluids were drained.
I think what you saw was a unit that drained the vehicles before turn in. There are HUGE fines for dumping oils or any POLs on a military base. If that would have happened you would also be seeing it in your state newspapers, on the arrests that were being made.
One of the few, Frank USMC RET