Along for the Ride

A group of spouses visiting their military husbands and wives stationed in South Korea flew aboard a KC-135 tanker during a training mission from Kunsan Air Base so that they could witness first-hand the work that their loved ones perform. The spouses boarded the visiting KC-135, assigned to the 909th Air Refueling Squadron from Kadena AB, Japan, for the two-hour mission, during which the tanker refueled F-16s from Kunsan’s 80th Fighter Squadron. Watching from beside the KC-135 boom operator, some wives were able to see their husbands in the F-16s as the fighters maneuvered below the tanker during the Dec. 28 flight. Kunsan officials said these types of spouse-orientation opportunities are important because many military members have unaccompanied tours in South Korea and don’t get to share their work with the families. (Kunsan report by SrA. Jessica Hines)