Tech Sgt Lisa Ameigh lies forward her stomach to look gone out her "office window.

Tech Sgt Lisa Ameigh lies forward her stomach to look gone out her "office window." He view from the 34-by 16-inch glass opening at the back of her KC-135 Stratolanker is the same that would leave some the community green with envy or just green

At more than 20000 feet above the earth's surface, the aerial refueling technician, or deep and hollow humming operator, normally has a spectacular view of the planet. Today, however, she anticipates down on a layer of nappy white clouds as the KC-135 circles in its refueling track throughout the Adriatic Sea and scans for NATO aircraft coming in for a "hit."

similar a refueling mission for the four-person horde can last five to six hours, sometimes longer depending onward the number of receivers. Then when it's time to head "home" the gang lands about an hour and a half away in France.

Ameigh and the ease of the crew are from the recent Jersey Air National Guard upon a two-week temporary duty tour to a small Air Force unit at French Air Base 25 in Istres, France, near Marseille.

The unit, the 16th Expeditionary Operations collection provides a vital air-refueling mission for U and NATO aircraft patrolling the skies across the Balkans. Three Air National Guard and brace active duty KC-135 Stratotankers do the job

Col Bill Smith, the group's commander, said the tanker part worldwide is a "force multiplier." "The fighters do not have the range they ne to operate through long periods of time in the Balkans. Tanker support is critical to supporting that mission and allowing them more loiter time from one side of to the other their areas of patrol."

Ameigh and her mate crew members are among 200 Air National Guard, active office and Reserve forces and Defense Department civilians assigned to the dispose Two-thirds of the airmen are guardsmen who hurry the flying mission. Each month common of the Guard's 17 refueling units arrives to take the mission. Twelve active excise airmen and six maintainers also rotate in for flying operations.

The other third provides support. This includes active excise airmen from a host of bases and a handful of reservists who rotate each 90 days.

brace people stay longer. The detachment commander stays six month And the civilian who hastes the Army and Air Force Exchange store is there a year.

"It's a pleasure to have Americans working in succession base and piloting the same aircraft we fly" said French air force Col Maurice Lardet, Istres base commander. He's flown KC-135 for more than 10 years.

"The friendship is real good," he continued. But constant changeover of U airmen makes it "hard to have permanent contact with the partys and to learn from each other."

A seamless operation

Smith said the changeovers don't stop the mission. The biggest challenge, he said, is accountability -- "who's here, who's leaving and who's coming." Getting the community in on time and upon schedule is a key to ensuring the mission continues uninterrupted.

Keeping things flowing gently is a task that falls for the most part on support members, who are at the base 90 days or longer and provide stability.

"We're able to maintain the continuity and pass it on" said Lt Cal. Thomas Amond, 16th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron commander. "There are a not many bumps sometimes, but we have a great rapport going between the active impost and Guard commanders and the first sergeants," said Amond, who roll ons the support side of the unit. "We all draw near together as a great team."

According to Capt. Francine Miske, a Guard KC-135 copilot with the 108th Air Refueling Wing, McGuire Air Force Base, NJ "the fact we can fulfill this mission -- and relieve the active excise forces for a period of time to be residence with their families -- is the in the greatest degree important thing we can do to help the two the military and the United States."

Keeping a constant watch

one time an incoming aircraft is have relationed to the KC-135, Ameigh starts the grow of fuel and keeps a constant watch onward the process. With the dangers of mid-air collisions or single in kind aircraft dragging the other down, Ameigh has to be ready to quickly break the connection.

She and the peace of the crew also maintain a constant vigil for any hostile aircraft, since this particular refueling track athwart the Adriatic Sea is considered a combat zone

on the contrary it's what aircrews accept when they take the mission, Miske said. "This is what we prepare for. It's nothing new; we've been to more active places."

inferior Lt. Sam Dixon, an active tax KC-135 navigator from McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., was forward his first deployment to Europe His first refueling flight into a combat climate was stressful because he didn't know what to expect

"You're facing the unknown," Dixon said. moreover after that first mission, "you know what to rely upon and everything runs smoothly."

Another first-timer, 1st Lt Tyler Frander, a co-pilot from McConnell said the deployment gave him a big picture of the tanker mission. "We've been training since pilot training, however you don't really get to descry how it all works until you travel on your first deployment."

the couple active duty and Guard aircrews agree that Istres missions are similar to those at abiding-place except for a few challenges.