 Air crew members aboard this United States Marine Corps KC-130J prepare for a mission over the skies of Afghanistan. The plane doesn't carry any weapons, but it's essential to combat operations in the region. The crew conducts aerial refueling missions. It's basically a flying gas station. The Harriers and tactical jets that are in direct support of the guys on the ground go through a lot of gas fast and they can't carry very much of it. So our role is to support them by orbiting overhead, running the hoses and giving them gas when they run low. We refuel those Harriers so that they can extend their time out over the battle spaces where the Marines on the ground are out engaged with hostile forces. By giving them additional fuel they can stay for extended periods of time. Transferring fuel from one plane to another thousands of feet above ground is easier said than done. It takes a little bit of prior coordination for us to find good airspace, open airspace. It's a free by the aircraft where we can have enough room to work and give the jets enough room to join on us. It can be a complicated operation if there's a lot of aircraft involved. These Marines spend most of their time above cloud cover, far removed from the combat below. They understand however the impact their job has on the broader mission. After you refuel those jets they're based just down the street from us and afterwards you run into the pilots and the extra fuel you gave them they can tell you what it was that they were able to do with that extra fuel and extra time on station. We're one step further away at the ladder and today's particular mission from the Harriers they're doing post air support and direct overwatch and we were giving them gas but ultimately we're all here to take care of the Marines on the ground. Whether they realize it or not coalition forces on the ground can be thankful that there is a crew of Marines thousands of feet overhead pumping gas. Airman Jimmy Morland, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.