Flying with the 128th Air Refueling Wing to kick off Armed Forces Week



MILWAUKEE -- To kick off Armed Forces Week, FOX6 News got to fly along with the 128th Air Refueling Wing on Friday morning, May 13th.

"We're responsible for air refueling. We're responsible for getting the gas to our receiver aircraft," said MSGT Amanda Look.



Based at Mitchell International Airport, the 128th runs air refueling missions, aero medical evacuations and other transport tasks.

"America relies on its air refueling capability," said Col. Daniel Yenchesky.

On Friday morning, FOX6 News was invited to climb aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker to see the crew in action.



"It's just one of those things you really have to get used to; it takes a lot of practice," Look said.

As our cameras shot the action, another aircraft pulled right up to the plane -- docking into place for the fuel transfer.

"The first time you do it for real, it is it's absolutely terrifying," Look said.



A spokeswoman for the unit tells FOX6 News, they regularly deploy to the 379th in Asia -- most recently within the last year.

"The KC-135 community, the tanker community as a whole, is busier than it's ever been right now," said Yenchesky.

We are told the aircraft we flew in took part in more than 500 combat missions in 2015 alone.



"To put that into perspective, that's twice as many combat missions as we flew during any given year in the height of Iraq or Afghanistan," Yenchesky said.

Friday's flight was the kick-off event for Milwaukee Armed Forces Week which officially runs May 16th through the 21st.