Fort Worth families fly friendly skies tanker-style

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Julie Briden-Garcia
  • 301st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
NAVAL AIR STATION FORT WORTH JOINT RESERVE BASE, Texas --  Nearly 100 of the 301st Fighter Wing spouses received an extraordinary adventure March 6-7 when they soared above the clouds at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas, with the assistance of a KC-135 tanker and aircrew.

"This isn't something that happens every day," said Lt. Col. Brett Comer, a 457th Fighter Squadron F-16 pilot and spouse flight project officer.

"It's nice to give back to the spouses, they sacrifice a lot," said Comer. "They also profit from this opportunity to fly and see what we do. Hopefully this is something we can [organize] in the future on a regular basis to get more folks exposed."

Three sorties delivered an invaluable mid-air experience for these men and women where they witnessed up-close and personal multiple F-16s refueling.

Before her flight, Karen Breazeale, a wing spouse, had only seen a refueling on TV and in photos. Afterwards, she had a whole new outlook on the mission.

"Being able to see an F-16 refuel was even more exciting than I anticipated," said Breazeale. "Actually watching it happen 'from the inside' offered a new perspective and really made me appreciate all that is involved."

Another spouse, Frank Garcia, had just as much enthusiasm about his flight. Although a man of few words, when asked how he liked the flight Garcia smiled, gave a big thumbs and answered, "Cool!"

Putting this type of event together at an F-16 unit can be challenging. Comer revealed that getting an event such as this to fruition is not as easy as it sounds.

"Assembling all the pieces took some doing but, in the end, this experience was well worth the return," said Comer.

The aircraft came from Seymour-Johnson's 916th Air Refueling Wing in North Carolina and Reservists from the 730th Air Mobility Training Squadron, Altus AFB, Okla., fashioned the crew.

"The tanker ride provided the spouses a unique opportunity, not only to learn about the jet refueling process, but also to be part of it," Breazeale said. "A big thank you to all who were involved in making this happen."