2d Bomb Wing | |
---|---|
Boeing B-52H bomber at Barksdale Air Force Base
|
|
Active | 15 October 1947 – present |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Air Force |
Role | Bomber |
Part of |
Air Force Global Strike Command Eighth Air Force |
Garrison/HQ | Barksdale Air Force Base |
Motto(s) | LIBERTATEM DEFENDIMUS Latin: We Defend Liberty |
Aircraft | B-52 Stratofortress |
Decorations | see "Lineage and Honors" section below |
Commanders | |
Current commander |
Colonel Ty W. Neuman |
Notable commanders |
George J. Eade Eugene E. Habiger Charles T. Robertson, Jr. John Dale Ryan |
Insignia | |
2d Bomb Wing emblem (approved 10 August 1951) |
The 2d Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command and Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The wing is also the host unit at Barksdale. The wing was assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command in February 2010 as part of the reassignment of Eighth Air Force.
The 2 BW is one of only two B-52H Stratofortress wings in the United States Air Force, the other being the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
Its 2d Operations Group is the oldest bomb group of the Air Force, having fought on the Western Front as the 1st Day Bombardment Group during World War I, entering combat on 12 September 1918. It After the war, it participated in Brigadier General Billy Mitchell's 1921 off-shore bombing test. Active for over 60 years, the 2 BW was a component wing of Strategic Air Command (SAC)'s heavy bomber deterrent force throughout the Cold War.
The 2d Bomb Wing is commanded by Colonel Ty W. Neuman. Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Teresa W. Clapper.
Today, as the largest bomb wing in Air Force Global Strike Command and as a part of the historic "Mighty Eighth" Air Force, the wing continues to reflect the heritage of its motto Libertatem Defendimus: "Liberty We Defend."
The 2d Bombardment Wing was activated by the United States Air Force on 5 November 1947 and was assigned to the Strategic Air Command Eighth Air Force. At the time of its activation, wing headquarters remained non-operational; its assigned 2d Bombardment Group being attached to the 43rd Bombardment Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.