With communities along the Missouri river threatened by floodwaters, Air National Guardsmen from Iowa’s 185th Air Refueling Wing converted their base in Sioux City to support Army National Guard helicopter operations. Several of the unit’s KC-135s are currently deployed, freeing space and facilities at Col. Bud Day Field. “We were working 16- to 18-hour days getting set up,” said TSgt. David Henson, a 185th ARW crew chief. Hosting four UH-60 Black Hawks from Iowa and Minnesota and a CH-47 Chinook deployed from Illinois required establishing hover and refueling areas, as well as helicopter-specific maintenance and logistics structures. Airmen continue to support operations, “hot-refueling” the helicopters while their engines are running in order to limit ground time between sorties. The Army helicopters are primarily engaged patrolling miles of dykes, airlifting sand bags, and standing by to evacuate flood victims. (Sioux City report by SSgt. Rich Murphy)
Former AFCENT Commander Reflects on Lessons of Epic Fury
Sept. 13, 2026
Operation Epic Fury marked the U.S. military's largest air campaign in a generation, with strikes on 13,000 targets in Iran before the first in a series of shaky ceasefires began in April. Now, even as hostilities continue to flare up, Lt. Gen. Derek C. France sees several clear lessons that…
