BANGOR – Lying on her belly, Master Sgt. Cheryl Martin peered out the tail of an Air Force aerial refueling tanker at 32,000 feet as a massive Air Force C-17 cargo plane approached slowly from below.

As the distance closed to 40 feet, Martin used a joystick and lever to carefully maneuver a boom toward the cargo plane.

Once the boom found its mark, the KC-135 tanker began pumping jet fuel into the C-17 nearly as fast as a fire engine pumps water from a hydrant while the planes flew in tandem at 420 mph over the Vermont landscape.

Roughly 15 minutes and 10,000 gallons later, the planes separated over Maine and the C-17 continued on its way to Europe.

The 101st Air Refueling Wing in Bangor, along with the 157th Air Refueling Wing in Newington, N.H., are playing a key role in the war by refueling military aircraft headed to the Middle East.

After three rounds of base closings, the two Air National Guard units represent the last opportunity for fuel for trans-Atlantic flights to Europe.

Together, they’re averaging 14 missions a day to ensure troops, equipment, supplies and humanitarian aid find their way to Iraq.

Guard members take pride in their jobs, although they sometimes refer to themselves as glorified gas station attendants. They acknowledge that the supply side of war is not as sexy as smart bombs, fighter jets and fast-moving tanks.

“Most of the people don’t know what we’re doing, but it’s important,” Martin said. “We’re getting them there.”

The 101st was mobilized during the Gulf War in 1991, but it didn’t have the prominence it does today because of refueling units at active Air Force bases surrounding it – Loring in Maine, Pease in New Hampshire and Plattsburgh in upstate New York.

All three have closed, leaving only the 101st in Bangor and the 157th at what is now Pease Air National Guard Base. The closest active Air Force base with refueling tankers is in New Jersey.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the National Guard has been responsible for 60 percent of air-to-air refuelings to support combat air patrols, said Col. Matthew Musial of the Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

The 101st, which has 10 aircraft altogether, always has at least one flight crew on 24-hour alert at Bangor International Airport. The unit has been augmented by aircraft and crews from Utah and Arizona.

The number of KC-135s on alert for the Iraqi war is classified, but six were fueled and ready to go on a recent day. About eight others were parked.

The 101st has delivered nearly 2 million gallons to aircraft on 149 aerial missions since January, said Lt. Col. John D’Errico, the squadron commander. An additional 674 planes have been serviced on the ground, he said.

The unit has 250 full-time airmen and airwomen, bolstered with another 250 called up for the war. Even so, the hours have been extraordinary. D’Errico said his last day off was Jan. 19.

“We put in the minimum hours [of required rest time] and we’re back on duty,” Martin said.

On the plus side, the two wings are among the few Guard units whose deployment consists of staying put.

“We’re not complaining because we’re at home,” said Martin, a Maine native who has family living in the area. “None of us are griping too bad. We’re counting our chickens.”

Since most members served in the Air Force before joining, many have more flying experience than active-duty pilots.

Lt. Col. Greg Hawkin, a pilot on standby last weekend, said he just passed 10 years with the unit, “and I’m considered junior.”

The KC-135s, which are capable of carrying cargo, 30,000 gallons of fuel or a combination of both, have logged many hours, as well.

They were built between 1957 and 1959 and have been upgraded with advanced avionics and newer Pratt & Whitney jet engines. With a crew of three, the planes can stay aloft for up to 14 hours.

During down time, crew members watch television for war updates.

The war may be thousands of miles away but they feel like they are part of it. For many, the war on terror is personal.

Several pilots and boom operators witnessed the destruction on Sept. 11, and a KC-135 from the 101st arrived in the skies over New York City soon after the World Trade Center’s twin towers were hit.

Senior Master Sgt. Bob Phair watched the smoke and dust from the towers pouring through lower Manhattan as his plane refueled F-15 fighters that day. His was one of many KC-135s scrambled that day.