Col Travis Hawks is the Commander, 190th Medical Group, 190th Air Refueling Wing, Forbes ANG Base, Topeka, Kansas. As the Commander and Senior Flight Surgeon, provides leadership and direction to a team of over 80 healthcare professionals to support the strategic national and state mission of the 190th Air Refueling Wing and Kansas Air National Guard.
Col Hawks is a Missouri native who entered the Kansas Air National Guard in January 2025 as a transfer from the Missouri Air National Guard, 139th Airlift Wing. Col Hawks joined the Missouri Air National Guard in June 2015 as a Flight Surgeon in transfer from active duty Army. His initial entry to military service was in May 2002 while attending the University of Missouri – Kansas City – School of Medicine as a part of the Health Professions Scholarship Program where he was commissioned in the Individual Ready Reserve of the Army as a Second Lieutenant. Upon earning his medical degree in May 2006 he was direct commissioned on active duty in the Army as a Captain and assigned to Ft. Benning, Georgia where he completed a Family Medicine Residency and was Chief Resident. He was then assigned as the Brigade Surgeon for the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Ft. Wainwright, Alaska in June 2009. In June 2012 he was selected as a Flight Surgeon for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). During his time on active duty he deployed in support of combat operations with one tour in Iraq and three tours in Afghanistan supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Prior to his current position, the Colonel was Chief of Aerospace Medicine and the commander of the 139th Medical Group, Detachment 1 responsible for maintaining a ready force of 47 medical professionals and $1,820,671 of equipment to respond to a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) event as part of the Joint Missouri Homeland Response Force within Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) region VII as part of the CBRN Response Enterprise. In that role he effectively deployed the Detachment on the first operational deployment of the Detachment supporting COVID operations in the state of Missouri.
EDUCATION
2003 Army Medical Department Officer Basic Course, Ft. Sam Houston, Texas
2005 Army Flight Surgeon Course, United States Army School of Aviation Medicine, Ft. Rucker, Alabama.
2005 Bachelor of Arts, University of Missouri – Kansas City
2006 Doctor of Medicine, University of Missouri – Kansas City – School of Medicine
2009 Martin Army Community Hospital (MACH) Family Medicine Residency Program, Ft. Benning, Georgia.
2010 United States Army Brigade Surgeon Course, Ft. Sam Houston, Texas
2010 Army Medical Department Captain Career Course, Ft. Sam Houston, Texas
2016 United States Air Force Aerospace Medicine Primary Course, Wright - Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
2021 Air War College (correspondence)
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ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2006 – June 2008, Family Medicine Resident, MACH, Ft. Benning, Georgia.
2. June 2008 – June 2009, Chief Resident, MACH, Ft. Benning, Georgia.
3. June 2009 – June 2012, Brigade Surgeon, 1st SBCT, 25th ID, Ft. Wainwright, Alaska (Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom)
4. June 2012 – August 2014, Flight Surgeon, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. (Operation Enduring Freedom)
5. August 2014 – June 2015, Flight Surgeon, Army Individual Ready Reserve
6. June 2015 – May 2018, Flight Surgeon, 139th Medical Group, Detachment 1, St. Joseph, Mo.
7. May 2018 – March 2021, Commander, 139th Medical Group, Detachment 1, St. Joseph, Mo. (Operation Show Me Covid Response)
8. November 2020 – December 2024, Chief of Aerospace Medicine, 139th Medical Group, St. Joseph, Mo.
9. January 2025 – Present, Commander, 190th Medical Group, Topeka, Ks.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Senior Flight Surgeon
Flight Hours: 348.9 hours with 128.9 combat hours
Aircraft flown: KC135, C130J, C130H, C5M, UH60A, MH47G, MH60M, MH60L, MH60K, MH6, CH47
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Bronze Star
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Achievement Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Meritorious Unit Award 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
National Defense Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two service stars
Iraq Campaign Medal with one service star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Army Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral 3 device
Air and Space Longevity Service Award
Armed Forces Reserve Medal 2 “M” Devices
Army Service Ribbon
NATO ISAF Medal
Combat Medical Badge
Combat Action Badge
Expert Field Medical Badge (Distinguished Honor Graduate)
Missouri NG Expeditionary Ribbon
Missouri NG State Emergency Duty Ribbon
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 28, 2002
Captain June 12, 2006
Major June 12, 2012
Lieutenant Colonel January 7, 2017
Colonel November 30, 2022
(Current as of February 2026)