AUGUST 18, 2026 — Iowa National Guard Soldiers and Airmen came together to support the Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa, Aug. 13, 2026, with a joint Army and Air National Guard color guard and a formation flyover featuring Iowa Army National Guard helicopters.
The event brought Iowa National Guard members to one of the state’s most recognizable landmarks, combining ceremonial support on the field with military aviation overhead.
Prior to the game, Soldiers and Airmen presented the colors as part of a joint Iowa Army and Air National Guard color guard.
Above the Field of Dreams, two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, a CH-47 Chinook and a UH-72 Lakota flew in diamond formation over the baseball diamond and surrounding Iowa cornfields.
The formation highlighted several of the rotary-wing capabilities maintained by the Iowa Army National Guard. Black Hawks provide troop and equipment transport and support domestic response missions, while the Chinook provides heavy-lift capability for personnel and cargo.
The Lakota supports missions including transportation, reconnaissance and domestic operations. Bringing the aircraft together required coordination among aircrews and support personnel from across the Iowa Army National Guard, while the joint color guard demonstrated the partnership between Iowa’s Army and Air National Guard.
The mission also provided an opportunity for the Iowa National Guard to connect with the communities its Soldiers and Airmen serve.
The Field of Dreams has hosted National Guard aviation before. In 2022, a KC-135 Stratotanker from the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing joined two F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing for a flyover before the Major League Baseball Field of Dreams game.
Four years later, the Iowa National Guard returned to the Field of Dreams with Soldiers and Airmen on the ground and Iowa Army National Guard aviators overhead. Set against one of Iowa’s most iconic backdrops, the event showcased the Iowa National Guard’s connection to the state through a joint display of service, tradition and aviation.
Story by Staff Sgt. John Johnson
185th Air Refueling Wing, Iowa Air National Guard