Friday, September 4, 2026 l Vol. 51, Number 36
SERVING TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE AND THE MILITARY COMMUNITY OF SOLANO COUNTY
AMC CIVIC LEADERS TOUR DYESS Page 2
PACAF PROVIDES AID TO HAWAII Page 3
32ND AIR REFUELING SQUADRON Page 7
TAILWIND
TRAVIS
A product of Daily Republic
GRASS
LANDING Senior Airman Edgar Grimaldo/U.S. Air Force file
A C-130J Super Hercules aircraft assigned to the 37th Airlift Squadron approaches an austere grass landing zone in Iceland, Aug. 23. Personnel from the 435th Contingency
Response Group surveyed and marked the strip during exercise Northern Viking 26 to practice rapid combat power projection across the North Atlantic.
Allied integration makes the operational world smaller Kris Pierce
55TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Airman 1st Class Daniel Schmitt/U.S. Air Force file photos
Tech. Sgt. Nathan Nowakowski, 364th Recruiting Squadron flight chief, walks beneath an arch of sabers during the 2026 Senior Noncommissioned Officer Induction Ceremony at the Sunrise Banquet Hall in Vacaville, Aug. 28. Passing beneath
the arch of sabers is a military tradition that symbolizes an inductee’s transition into the senior noncommissioned officer tier and the increased leadership responsibilities of the rank.
Travis Air Force Base holds 2026 SNCO Induction Ceremony
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. — A French A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport Phénix refueled U.S. and U.K. RC-135 aircraft during a historic exercise over central France, marking the first air-to-air refueling integration among the United States, United Kingdom and France within the RC-135 enterprise. Exercise Ravitaillement en Vol brought together a U.S. Air Force TC-135 training aircraft, a Royal Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint and a French Air and Space Force A330 MRTT Phénix. The event demonstrated how aircraft, crews and staff members from three NATO nations can operate as an increasingly integrated force. The milestone represented more than a successful connection between tanker and receiver aircraft. It established a pathway for U.S. and U.K. RC-135 fleets to access more than 30 allied A330 MRTT tankers worldwide, expanding the reach, persistence and flexibility of a critical NATO intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability. For the 55th Wing, which organizes, trains and equips the U.S. Air Force RC-135 fleet, the integration expands operational reach and flexibility across multiple theaters by increasing refueling options, extending time on station and giving See Allied, Page 3
Master sergeants pose for a video during the 2026 Senior Noncommissioned Officer Induction Ceremony at the Sunrise Banquet Hall in Vacaville, Aug. 28.
Travis Air Force Base Honor Guard members stand by to present the colors during the 2026 Senior Noncommissioned Officer Induction Ceremony at the Sunrise Banquet Hall in Vacaville, Aug. 28. The ceremony recognized the 42 airmen assigned to the 621st Contingency Response Wing and 60th Air Mobility Wing inducted into the senior noncommissioned officer tier.
Courtesy photo
A TC-135 assigned to the 55th Wing flies during Exercise Ravitaillement en Vol.