Sure. WARNING-LONG READ AHEAD
1985/86
Two KC-10s take off from Seymour Johnson AFB, NC with one hour spacing scheduled to take 12 USMC A-4s from Cherry Point (IIRC) to somewhere in Europe w/ a RON in Lajes. Tankers enter holding after fighters delay. 2 hours and 50K later the fighters take off, fuel has enough play and Lajes weather is/forecast excellent so fighter lead decides to continue.
An hour or so after PED Lajes weather turns to crap. Flights continue to Lajes. Flight enters holding over the island and start fuel conserving, ie, A/R at FL340, slower speeds, etc. Around this time the other tanker and it's 6 chicks enters holding over the island. The two KC-10s refuel each other to equalize fuel loads. Fuel is at emergency, weather lifts enough at Santa Maria IAP (Lajes is still crap) to shoot an ILS approach. Fighters inform tanker they don't have ILS equipment. Someone figures out that if the tanker has a fighter on each wing they can get down to mins and have the A-4s land while the 10 goes missed approach. One of the A-4s crash on the approach end of the runway. Field closed. KC-10 lands anyway and proceeds to fuel pits, where they load up as much fuel as they can in 45 minutes. At Lajes, a USMC KC-130 takes off 0/0 and meets up with the 2 or 4 A-4s from that first flight and either lands with them on the wings or takes them to Spain.
Meanwhile, the other 10 and it's fighters are running their ditching checklists and taking on 1K apiece to keep from flaming out. Tanker has about 15K left but tells the fighters they'll share until they run out. Other KC-10 leaves it's crew chiefs on the ground (time) and taxi to the runway. Tower says negative: Field closed. 10 crew flips them the bird and takes off anyway. By the time they hook up the tanker is about 10 minutes from ditching and the fighters right behind them. They hook up for a quick 20K while the fighters come back in for some more. The two tankers and fighters head for Spain, knowing they don't have enough fuel to make it but hoping for the best. An hour or two from feet dry the flight meets up with an ALERT KC-10 from Ziragoza AB, Spain, tops off, and lands safely. SAC and the AF wants to fry the crew for endangering the aircraft, crew, taking off w/o a clearance, and alot more stuff. MC Commandant decorates the crew personally and the AF backs off. The crew ended up winning the Mackay Trophy or something of that sort for the mission.
This one is a little sketchier since it happened at my last base after I'd PCS'd. I heard about it from an evaluator in my old squadron who's now here in Norcal.
~2 years ago, two KC-10s take off from McGuire on basically the same mission as before. This time with either USN or USMC F-18s. The same thing happens, weather goes to sh1t after the PED. Tankers hold over Lajes. One of the tankers (from my old squadron, DUCERS!!) tells his fighters they'll share all the fuel with them. BUT, the other tanker, from the crap-heap known as the 32d Air Refueling Squadron, says "peace out" to their fighters and heads to Spain.
So one tanker and 8 (IIRC) F-18s are left airborne. KC-10 manages to land after a few missed approaches, hits the fuel pits, and takes back off after the Air Mobility Command 4 star gives the crew a blanket waiver: Crew duty day, weather mins, EVERYTHING waived! 10 crew takes off, heads for Spain, and hits a tanker from Mildenhall or Moron and gets the fighters to land. Crew didn't have to pay for drinks and get decorated from the CNO or the Commandant. The other crew, as big of pieces of sh1t they are, were within their rights: The only mission where the tanker is REQUIRED to give up all their gas is for SIOP-nuclear war. But that's what you get when the B-team is playing. They were afraid of being fried by higher-ups
Written as best remembered from memory
Incidentally. I remember during a sim session about 5 years ago one of the Boeing instructors gave us this scenario and asked us if we thought it was plausible. None of us said yes, then he gave us the award package written and said that we're the last step between fliers and their ejection seat handle at best and the grim reaper at worst. Sobering thoughts for a 19 year old kid