An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

KC-135's 50 years of service recognized

  • Published
Celebration activities for the KC-135 Stratotanker's 50 years of service culminated in a banquet Saturday night at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. 

More than 400 military and civilian guests, mostly past and present crewmen, maintainers, community leaders and elected officials, gathered to celebrate the historic event. 

Lt. Gen. Christopher Kelly, vice commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base Ill., was the keynote speaker. General Kelly, a command pilot with more than 3,900 flying hours, spoke of the challenges of air refueling. 

"Aviation, by its very nature, is inherently dangerous," he said. "Let's compound that now by saying we are going to take another airplane, you name the size from a C-5 down to an F-16 or anything in between, that has an air refueling receptacle; and we are going to drive that second airplane at about 300 mph up behind another airplane that happens to have a boom device on it. We are going extend that boom out to approximately 25 feet, and we are going to ask these two airplanes to join together. Then through a small device, we are going to pump highly volatile kerosene fuel from one airplane to another. Does it sound remarkable? Does it sound miraculous? It is a miracle to me." 

When speaking of the men and women who serve in the military, General Kelly told the assembled crowd that he was often asked where he found them. "The real question," he said, "is how do we keep them? I think the answer to that lies in the heart of each and every one of those individuals. So, if you get the opportunity, ask them and you too will find out how remarkable they are." 

General Kelly expressed pride in the remarkable people who fly and maintain the KC-135 Stratotanker. "They help us preserve our freedom, preserve those things we hold most dear and continue to build on the foundation that our forefathers and those folks that have served this great nation to this very moment have built. And we all need to remember that, 'Nobody wins wars without tanker gas!'"