For every person training in the air on board a kc-135 there are many other people on ground training to support the refueling mission. Like Master Sgt. Eddie Collins with the Aerospace Ground Equipment Flight.

"When you deploy you are away from home so you are away from families and you have to get use to that and I think that sort of helps," said Master Sgt. Eddie Collins with the Aerospace Ground Equipment Flight.

According to Vice Wing Commander, Col. William Platt this training at Gulfport's Combat Readiness Training Center is as close to going over seas as the guard members can get while still staying within hours of home.

"We show up and it is just buildings and we bring in our people and show we can do our job going into a bare bones facility," said Platt.

Collins doesn't usually use the piece of equipment he's working on back at Key Field. He says, in case of future deployments, he needs to know how to work with it.

"We want to make our mistakes here if we make any so we can correct them. We are training but it is as close to real life as we can get without going over seas," said Platt.

This also goes for the other guard members. While in Gulfport they may be doing their normal duties, but wing officials hope being away from home, friends and family will condition them for being out of their comfort zones.

All of the guard members work to make sure the wing known as the birthplace of in-flight refueling continues the legacy as it did on this mission when several F-22 Raptors were successfully refueled over Florida.