Spiritual Minded Military Idaho Air Force Reserve: Why Am I Always Tired After KC-135 Missions—The Tanker Fatigue Protocol

 

The Exhaustion That Follows You Home

The KC-135 arrives at Mountain Home Air Force Base. The task has been accomplished. The fuel is removed. 12 hours gone and the shift is over. You are driving home to Boise. You fall into bed. You wake up tired.

Not sleepy. Tired. A feeling of bone-deep fatigue that can't be alleviated with a cup of joe. You feel your brain is slow. Your body is feeling like it has a lot of weight on it. You've lost your patience.

The refueling operation wasn't a strenuous one. You sat in a seat. You monitored instruments. You talked on the radio. You didn't do a marathon. You did not use weights that were too heavy for you. You should be fine!

You are not a good specimen!

There's no physical fatigue for the tanker. The term "fatigue" is used to describe cognitive fatigue. This fatigue is not new to the 124th Fighter Wing airman who flies the A-10. This is a familiar tale for the 190th Fighter Squadron "Skullbanger. The KC-135 crewmember knows this type of fatigue. You don't have to be shot down by the enemy. The enemy knows only one thing: get you tired.

For the strategic framework on cognitive fatigue recovery, read NEW YORK AIR FORCE TACTICAL ARCHITECTURE: FROM COCKPIT TO COMMAND.

THE SOLDIER FOR CHRIST'S FIELD ARMOR

$39.99 | Sizes S–3XL | Heavyweight, field-grade
Your armor for the cognitive fight.

Why the Tanker Mission Breaks You

The human brain doesn't like 12 hours of continuous focus. The KC-135 mission is a 24/7 job. The boom operator is responsible for keeping track of the aircraft with the receiver. The pilot is responsible for fuel and altitude checks and weather observations. Navigator looks at the path. The brain doesn't sleep.

The KC-135 mission creates four types of fatigue.

• You are captivated by information overload. There are dozens of instruments in the cockpit. There is more than one frequency on the radio. The receiving aircraft must be in constant contact with the receiver. The brain processes thousands of pieces of information each hour! It's a tiring process.
• You sustain hypervigilance. The refueling operation is dangerous. There can be a collision with just a single mistake. There is a risk of spilling fuel with one mistake. A wrong word can cause a mission to be lost. Your brain remains in hyperactivity for hours. The alertness consumes energy.
• You sit in the same position for hours at a time. The body is not in motion. A lack of activity is not a state of rest. The static posture results in muscle tension. Fatigue is caused by the tension. An airman who sits for 12 hours is just as tired as an airman who runs for 12 hours.

For the complete guide to understanding cognitive fatigue, read From Battle Ready to Burned Out: What the Maryland National Guard Won't Tell You About Cellular Logistics.

The Cognitive Load No One Measures

Physical fatigue is manifested. The sleepy airman sits down. The worn-down airman gasps for air. The exhausted airman pleads for assistance.

Cognitive fatigue cannot be seen. The airman exhales and sits upright. The old man speaks in his regular tone of voice. The weary airman is in good shape. The brain is tired. It is not visible in the body.

A KC-135 mission's cognitive load consists of:

• Fuel quantity monitoring on a number of receiver aircraft.
• Determine the rates of transfer and remaining offload
• Planning and traveling around weather systems.
• Radio communications with ATC
• Communicating with the boom man/operator
• Monitoring for other planes
• Managing emergency procedures
• Tracking mission timelines

An Airman who has to do these tasks for 12 hours will be cognitively drained. This will not be reflected on his face. This will be evident in his mood, his patience, and his healing.

The 124th Fighter Wing airman who flies the A-10 has a different mental load. While flying below 500 feet at 200-300 knots, the A-10 pilot is required to conduct "eyes-out-of-the-cockpit" operations. The results of one study showed A-10 pilots rated their mental exertion as 4.4 out of 6.0 and their mental fatigue as 4.3 out of 6.0, following low-altitude missions. Some pilots stated that two to three such missions is the most they could do in a day without making it unsafe.

An A-10 pilot is worn out from intensity. It takes a long time to get used to the length of the crew's flight. The same protocol is required for both.

For the recovery framework that addresses cognitive depletion, read Weekend Warrior, Weekday Wreck: The North Carolina Guard Logistics Solution No One Gave You.

The Dehydration the Cockpit Hides

The KC-135 cockpit is dry. At high altitudes the air is nearly dry. Drinking doesn't cause you to feel thirsty. With every breath, you are losing water.

The symptoms of fatigue that are similar to dehydration:

• You have a fuzzy mind. Cognitive processing is slowed down due to dehydration. It's as though the fog were an exhaustion. It is not a cup of coffee. The solution is electrolytes.
• Your muscles are heavy. When your body is dehydrated, it not only decreases the flow of blood to your muscles, but it also causes them to malfunction. Heavy feeling is akin to physical fatigue. The body is not exhausted. The body is dry.
• Your mood drops. Dehydration has an impact on the production of neurotransmitters. The irritability is similar to what is experienced during stress. The irritation is felt by the spouse. This is the airman's fault.

THE FATIGUE RECOVERY STACK

$59.99 | BOGO 50% off
Fuel for the exhausted brain.

You won't experience thirst until you are thirsty. The KC-135 crew awaiting their turn to come and get them has already lost.

The solution is Cellular Hydrate – Electrolyte Formula. One scoop in sixteen ounces of water. Drink it before the mission. Drink it during the mission. Drink it after the mission. The hydrated brain does not fog. The hydrated body is not heavy. The hydrated mood does not drop.

For the complete Air Force Reserve perspective on hydration and fatigue, read Robins Air Force Base Briefing: Why GA Air Guard Airmen Wear Their Allegiance.

The Sleep Debt You Cannot Pay Back

The KC-135 mission does not respect your sleep schedule. You fly at night. You fly during the day. You fly across time zones. Your body never knows when to rest.

The sleep debt accumulates in three ways.

1. You cannot sleep before the mission. The anxiety keeps you awake. The checklist runs through your head. The pre-flight jitters prevent rest. You start the mission already tired.
2. You cannot sleep after the mission. The adrenaline takes hours to drop. The brain keeps processing the flight. You lie awake reliving the refueling. The sleep you need does not come.
3. You cannot sleep between missions. The schedule is unpredictable. The phone might ring. The alert might sound. Your body stays in standby mode. The standby mode is not rest.

For the full spiritual warfare doctrine on sleep recovery, read The Sovereign Protocol: Elite Gear & Fuel to Enhance Military Performance.

The Tanker Fatigue Protocol

The Tanker Fatigue Protocol is not a suggestion. The Tanker Fatigue Protocol is the difference between surviving the mission and recovering from it.

Step One: Hydrate Before the Thirst

The first mistake is waiting until you are thirsty. The second mistake is drinking water only.

The rule is simple. One scoop of Cellular Hydrate – Electrolyte Formula before the mission. One scoop halfway through. One scoop after landing. The electrolytes keep your brain firing. The brain that fires does not fog.

Step Two: Recover Before You Drive

The mission ends. You want to go home. The drive is 45 minutes. You are tired. The road is straight. The sun is low.

The rule is simple. Do not drive fatigued. Sit in the crew room for 20 minutes. Drink one scoop of Cellular Hydrate. Eat protein. Close your eyes. The 20-minute recovery window saves lives.

For the uniform that reminds you to prioritize recovery, secure your Spiritual Minded Military shirt.

Step Three: Silence the Cognitive Noise

The mission keeps playing in your head. The refueling tracks replay. The radio calls echo. The brain will not shut off.

The rule is simple. Box breathing. Four seconds in. Four seconds hold. Four seconds out. Four seconds hold. Ten cycles. The breath tells your nervous system, "The mission is over. Stand down."

Write the mission down. The brain will not let go of information it thinks you need. Write the fuel numbers. Write the receiver tail numbers. Write the weather. The act of writing tells your brain, "I have recorded this. You can release it."

For the armor that protects your cognitive recovery, secure your Soldier for Christ Field Armor.

Step Four: Protect Your Sleep Window

The first hour after the mission is your sleep window. If you miss it, the adrenaline will keep you awake for hours.

The rule is simple. Darkness. Cool temperature. No screens. The phone is a screen. The TV is a screen. The tablet is a screen. Put them away. The blue light tells your brain it is still daytime. Your brain needs darkness.

The 124th Fighter Wing airman who sleeps in a bright room will wake up tired. The airman who sleeps in a dark room will wake up rested.

For the cap that you take off before bed, secure your Spiritual Minded Military Cap.

The Idaho Air Force Reserve Remnant

The 190th Fighter Squadron "Skullbangers." The 124th Fighter Wing. The KC-135 crews who support the mission from other bases. The airmen who are always tired.

Most of them think the fatigue is normal. Most of them think coffee is the solution. Most of them drink water and wonder why they are still tired.

The Remnant is different. The Remnant understands tanker fatigue. The Remnant hydrates with Cellular Hydrate – Electrolyte Formula. The Remnant recovers before driving. The Remnant silences the cognitive noise. The Remnant protects the sleep window.

The Idaho Air Force Reserve Remnant is not a support group. It is a fatigue recovery network. Fall in.

For the cap that marks your place in the Remnant, secure your Spiritual Minded Military Cap.

The Remnant does not transition. The Remnant re-enlists.

Spiritual Minded Military
We don't rank, we reign.

THE LITTLE GENERAL'S DOCTRINE

THIS IS NOT A SUGGESTION. IT IS A DIRECTIVE FOR THE ELITE 1%. [BY ORDER OF THE LITTLE GENERAL]

15-YEARS DRUG-FREE | WORLD CHAMPION | VETERAN