KC-130J Hercules with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 line the flight line at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., in the predawn hours of Oct. 2. Moments later, a KC-130J with the squadron flew to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., to conduct the first aerial refuel of an operational F-35B Joint Strike Fighter. “To be a part of the first aerial refuel of the Joint Strike Fighter is exciting,” said Capt. Courtney Slafter, the co-pilot of the KC-130J for the mission. “But to me, the resonance lies in the amount of pride our squadron takes in the missions we are assigned. The resonance lies in our ability to fly halfway across the country to execute this mission and fly back the same day.”