509th Bomb Wing
| 509th Bomb Wing | |
|---|---|
509th Bomb Wing B-2 Spirit over Whiteman AFB
|
|
| Founded | 1947 |
| Country |
 United States |
| Branch |
 U.S. Air Force
|
| Role | Bombardment |
| Part of |
Air Force Global Strike Command Eighth Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Whiteman Air Force Base |
| Motto(s) | Defensor Vindex Latin Defender Avenger |
| Equipment | B-2 Spirit |
| Engagements |
Operation Allied Force Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation Odyssey Dawn |
| Decorations |
Air Force Meritorious Unit Award AFOUA w/ V Device |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Brig Gen Paul Tibbets IV |
| Notable commanders |
John Dale Ryan, Paul Tibbets, Gregory A. Biscone |
| Insignia | |
| 509th Bomb Wing emblem (Approved 10 July 1952) |  |
| 509th Bombardment Wing from the 1950s showing crest originally approved as part of the wing emblem. | .gif) |
The 509th Bomb Wing (509 BW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command, Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.
The 509 BW is the host unit at Whiteman, and operates the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. The wing can launch combat sorties directly from Missouri to any spot on the globe, engaging adversaries with large payloads of traditional or precision-guided munitions.
The wing's 509th Operations Group is a direct descendant organization of the World War II 509th Composite Group (509th CG). The 509th CG had a single mission: to drop the atomic bomb. The group made history on 6 August 1945, when the B-29 Superfortress, "Enola Gay," piloted by Col Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The B-29 "Bockscar," piloted by Maj Charles Sweeney flew over the Japanese mainland on 9 August 1945, and dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
The 509th Bomb Wing moved its people and equipment to Pease AFB, Portsmouth, NH. in August 1958. There, the wing continued to function as an integral part of SAC. By 1965, its B-47s for were scheduled for retirement. Unfortunately, this retirement also included the 509th. Fate intervened, however, as SAC decided to keep the 509th alive and equipped it with B-52s and KC-135s. Thus, the wing received its first B-52 and KC-135 in March 1966. The wing's association with the B-52 included two major deployments to Andersen AFB, Guam, as part of the now famous Vietnam War Arc Light missions. In April 1968 and again in April 1969, the wing began six-month ventures in the Western Pacific. During the last deployment, SAC informed the 509th that the wing would swap its B-52s for FB-111As. Accordingly, the wing began receiving the formidable fighter-bomber in December 1970. Over the next two decades, little changed for the 509th BW as it became SAC's fighter-bomber experts. However, a decision by the Department of Defense in 1988 to close Pease created major changes for the famous 509th. Headquarters SAC decreed that the 509th would not inactivate but transfer to Whiteman AFB to become the first B-2 Stealth bomber unit. As such, the wing moved to Whiteman on Sept. 30, 1990, without people and equipment.
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Wikipedia