Iowa Guard Airmen on Levee Patrol along the Missouri River in Sioux City, Iowa
Twenty-four Airmen from the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing are on state active duty, patrolling levees along the Iowa side of the Missouri river. The Airmen are patrolling large levees constructed just a few weeks ago near downtown Sioux City. This week the Army Corps of Engineers began releasing the maximum amount of water possible from the Gavins Point Dam upstream from Sioux City. The Airmen are working shifts in order to patrol the levee 24 hours a day. They are watching for areas in the levee that may begin to weaken and they are insuring the city water wells in the area are kept free from flooding river water. Master Sgt. Ron Hanson is a crew chief with the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City, Iowa. He is working as the day shift supervisor on levee patrol.