If you think Bowers and Smith — who graduated from Neenah High School in 1997 — planned all of this and kept close tabs on each other over the years, think again.

"It just kind of happened by chance," said Smith, who lives in Omaha, Neb., with his wife and daughter. "We didn't plot this out. We never talked about doing this. Life randomly took us to this spot."

Bowers, who is single and living in Wichita, was taken aback when he learned that his boyhood chum's career was virtually identical to his.

"It was totally incredible to find out that two kids who grew up next to each other are serving their country in the same way," he said. "It's just amazing to me that we had come to make the same decisions. I don't know if it was something in the water that we were drinking on Laudan Boulevard."

In August, Smith and Bowers renewed their friendship and caught up on things during a golf event held by Smith's family.

"It was awesome," Bowers said. "It almost felt like he was another guy in my squadron."

Smith shared stories with Bowers about the Air Force and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"It was interesting to both be doing very similar things," he said. "We had a good time talking about it. We talked a lot about what we had experienced and the kinds of places we went to. It was neat."

Much of the credit to uncovering the remarkable story about Joe Smith and Andy Bowers goes to their parents — Mike and Sandy Smith, and Al and Lori Bowers. While the Bowers' moved away from Laudan Boulevard to a home on Oakridge Drive years ago, the couples have remained good friends and still stay in touch.

"We've been so thrilled with what the two of them are doing," said Lori Bowers. "I remember them when they were buddies. They were two little boys in a wagon. They played in sandboxes. They walked to the park and played on the Rocket slide."

Lori remembers talking to Sandy Smith when she learned that Andy would be flying a KC-135. She said Sandy helped her deal with the fears that any parent has in such a situation.

"She knew exactly what I was feeling," Lori said of Sandy Smith. "It was such a comfort the first time he was deployed."

Lori is amazed that Andy and Joe find themselves in similar circumstances, even though they got to the Air Force in much different ways.

"You can't even imagine it," she said. "When Andy wound up flying the same plane as Joe, it was jaw-dropping."

Mike Smith also finds it hard to fathom how things turned out.

"Who would have thought it?" he said.

His son has been based at Grand Forks since January 2007. He enlisted in the Air Force in November 1998, went through basic training and technical training, and eventually was stationed in Omaha until 2002. He took part in Air Force ROTC at Nebraska-Omaha and took pilot training at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia. From there, he went to Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas, before getting stationed in Grand Forks.

Joe Smith has flown numerous overseas missions in the KC-135, which provides fuel to military planes in the air. It took five months of training before he was fully qualified to fly the refueling plane.

He has been to Iraq and Afghanistan five times since 2007, flying an average of 60 missions.

"Basically, we're there strictly to provide gas for any of the other military assets so they can stay in the air longer."

Smith communicates with other pilots, meets with them at predetermined times and goes over altitudes and air space details to make sure everything goes smoothly.

"It kind of magically happens," he said. "Everybody makes the timing work. They come up behind us nice and slow and fly underneath us. We lower our boom and it's just like a car's gas tank.

"Obviously, the first couple of flights, there's nerves, but like everything else, you ease into it."

Smith said he expects to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan next year. He is looking forward to the opportunity.

"It's nice to know you're helping people out and helping to save lives," he said.

Bowers, who has flown the KC-135 in more than 100 missions, said his job is to make sure the refueling process goes smoothly.

"When we're deployed, it's my job to be a pilot — to make sure all of the combat aircraft have the fuel they need."

Bowers' path to the Air Force was unlike that of Smith.

After high school, he enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He started out as a business major, but set that aside and became a physics major. He graduated in 2002 with a double major in physics and math.

He was initially undecided on a career path. While attending the University of Alabama on a research internship, he checked into the Air Force.

He accepted an Air Force research post in a Master's degree program and attended officer training school as well.

Bowers graduated from officer training school in 2003 and later was stationed at a base in Massachusetts for about three years.

Bowers worked on missile detection technology and satellites during that time, and started flying.

"It was kind of a hobby," he said. "One of my mentors there, a colonel, told me to stick around the Air Force and become a pilot."

He did just that and, eventually, received KC-135 training. Bowers has been stationed at McConnell for nearly two years.

Bowers is grateful that he learned about the close connection he has to his old pal Joe Smith.