Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. -- As Capt. Chris Bridges crossed paths with his wife, Capt. Heather Bridges, during “a day at the office”, he waved to her as he soared past her KC-135R Stratotanker in his F-15E Strike Eagle. 

This is the first time in a year of flying at Seymour Johnson and over two years of marriage that scheduling allowed the couple to fly together. 

“This happened once before we were married,” said Capt. Bridges, weapons and tactics flight commander for the 334th Fighter Squadron. 

While Chris was stationed at Royal Air Force Lakenheath flying F-15s, mutual friends introduced him to a KC-135 pilot and his future wife, Captain Heather Bridges. Heather is now at the 916th Air Refueling Wing, the U.S. Air Force Reserve tenant here. 

“There are a few couples out there like us, since some of the bases that have KC-135s also have F-15s,” said Chris. Heather was active duty when they married two years ago.
“One of the first things people ask us when they find out our jobs is if I’ve ever refueled his aircraft,” the female captain said. 

During that first flight together, her aircrew members joked that she should ask him “What’s for dinner?” across the radio. 

“We didn’t really talk on the radio, because we were busy flying,” she said. “This will be neat for our parents to know that we got to do this. They were hoping that we’d get the chance to work together.” 

In the past they’ve deployed at the same time to separate locations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The couple hoped they could have a rendezvous then, but their flight paths never crossed. 

They suspect they will meet again on missions, but it‘s not a common occurrence.
Their union helps bring a new perspective to their units. They’ve been both educators and advocates for each other’s career fields. 

“When we’re flying locally, the KC-135s sometimes get put off to the side by air traffic control for the F-15s,” Heather said. “I understand what’s going on from Chris, so I usually stick up for them.” 

There is a friendly spirit of competition among most flyers that comes from unit pride, said Chris. 

Some of the fighter pilots don’t understand the dynamics of refueling,” Chris said. “When the refuelers take off and expect to service many jets, they carry a lot of gas. If the fighters have to cancel, it alters the Stratotanker’s mission plans. I go out of my way to keep up my end of the deal when I’m flying and to educate the other fighter pilots, said Chris.
“It’s not all about you,” said Chris. With the two of them flying together, that statement couldn’t be more true.