Spouses get their chance to fly

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SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  The military is a family.

Everyone who has ever served knows this all too well; and many know that they couldn't do their military job if it weren't for the support of their spouse.

At the 916th Air Refueling Wing, 77 percent of the officers assigned here are married and 55 percent of the enlisted force are married. Since 2001, many spouses have learned that their loved one just doesn't go away for one weekend at a time, but could be and has been deployed to overseas locations for anywhere from four months to just over a year.

Ensuring the spouses understand the mission is critical to its success. Once a year the 916th hosts a spouse orientation flight for its members to invite their wives and husbands and it is always a huge success.

This year, the flight was held in conjunction with the wing's Family Day activities. Roughly 20 spouses were invited to see an air-to-air refueling mission on Sunday, Oct. 4. 

After a welcome by 916th leadership, spouses refueled a C-17 Globemaster from Charleston Air Force Base. The flight allows spouses to see the mission first-hand, how their military member plays into that mission and how ultimately they do too.