Family reunion goes sky high

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Donna T. Jeffries
  • 514th Air Mobility Wing
MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. --  Family reunions are common events but rarely do they occur thousands of feet in the air like the reunion the Harston family recently experienced. 

Capt. Michael Harston of the 78th Air Refueling Squadron, his father, retired Chief Master Sergeant Jon Harston and older brother, Master Sgt. Jon Harston Jr., a KC-135 boom operator met in the sky during an air refueling mission Sept. 21. 

"The first time I see my brother in seven months is 30,000 feet in the air," said Sergeant Harston while waving to his brother through the boom pod window as he refueled the KC-10 Extender his brother piloted. The sergeant is stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. 

Their father, a former KC-10 flight engineer, now a Boeing Flight Check Airman Engineer at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., accompanied Captain Harston in flight. He could be seen through the windshield of the KC-10, also waving to his eldest son. 

"I thought the flight was great," said Captain Harston. "During the air refueling we were able to see and talk with my brother." 

Although this was the first time all three had flown together on the same mission, it was not the first time at least two of the three flew together. Sergeant Harston got to bring his brother on a refueling mission with him when he was an Airman 14 years ago. 

"I remember he was so amazed by how close the planes came to each other and now he's flying the plane," he said. Although Captain Harston has flown the plane for four years he had a few initial butterflies to overcome. 

"Having both my dad and brother as former KC-10 crewmembers set the bar high," said the pilot. "They would know if I was messing something up." 

No one messed up and the Harston family now has a memory for a lifetime. 

"That day was one of the best and most proud days in my military career," said the captain, "with my dad, my brother and me at 30,000 feet and 500 miles per hour."