3 Minot squadrons earn top honors

by Senior Airman Stephanie Sauberan
Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs

4/29/2014 - MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Three squadrons at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., set themselves above their peers in being recently recognized for superior performance, each earning a top squadron award: the 742nd Missile Squadron, the 23rd Bomb Squadron and the 5th Operations Support Squadron.

742nd Missile Squadron: The Wolfpack
The 742nd Missile Squadron received the 2013 General Samuel C. Phillips Award as the best overall missile squadron in the entire Air Force.

A total of 10 Missile Squadrons within Air Force Global Strike Command competed for the award. The 625th Strategic Operations Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha, Neb.; three squadrons at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.; three at Malmstrom AFB, Mont.; and three here at Minot AFB.

Over the past couple of years, the men and women of the 742nd have worked extremely hard to increase their individual performances and have made the team better as a result, said Lt Col. Christopher Cruise, 742nd MS commander.

"We have a group of dedicated professionals in the Wolfpack," said Cruise. "This is a 24/7/365 mission; we don't get down days, holidays or weekends and the men and women of the 742nd realize the importance of what they do, and they do it very well. It has truly been my honor to serve with them."

The goal of the 742nd MS is to build upon the successes that they have seen, said Cruise. They will continue to improve their procedures and ensure that they take care of the mission daily.

"Ultimately, we need to continue the tradition of excellence that is expected of the Wolfpack," said Cruise.

The award is named in honor of General Phillips, who was the program manager during the development and testing of the Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile system. Many of his ideas and concepts of operations are still in use today.

23rd Bomb Squadron: The Bomber Barons
The 2013 Brigadier General Kenneth N. Walker Memorial Award was presented to the 23rd Bomb Squadron due to their unparalleled excellence throughout the 5th Bomb Wing's Consolidated Unit Inspection, for scoring 98 percent on all exams and passing 45 flight evaluations, which led to the wings "Excellent" rating.

Every bomb squadron in AFGSC was eligible for this award, to include Minot, Barksdale, and Whiteman Air Force bases. A bomb squadron from Minot AFB has won this award the last three years in a row: the 23d Bomb Squadron in 2011, 69th Bomb Squadron in 2012, and the 23d Bomb Squadron again in 2013.

"Sustained excellence through teamwork and commitment to mission accomplishment earned us this award," said Lt. Col. Brandon Parker, 23rd Bomb Squadron commander. "This award represents strong unit performance throughout the entire year; not a single event nor any single person. Our team performed at a high level during numerous inspections, a deployment, and various higher headquarters-directed exercises, because we committed ourselves to the mission and each other."

In addition to their score during the CUI the squadron deployed in support of U.S. Pacific Command's Continuous Bomber Presence, moving $450 million of assets and 45 aviators after only one month's notice. Finally, the squadron's flawless execution of a 17-ship surge demonstration during the 5th Bomb Wing's Nuclear Operational Readiness Inspection was instrumental to the wing's "Excellent" rating.

Parker went on to say that he continues to be amazed at how his entire team at Minot pulls together to accomplish the mission. For him, it is not really about winning awards, but how his team goes about accomplishing the mission.

"I am very proud that we strive to do things the right way, every day," said Parker. "I am also very grateful for the outstanding support we receive from our mission partners in the Maintenance, Mission Support, and Medical Groups. They make the mission happen."

The Airmen of the 23rd BS will continue to push themselves to seek continual improvement, said Parker. The wing's tempo provides a steady pace of opportunities and challenges throughout the year.

"We must improve our readiness at every turn," said Parker. "We owe it to our nation, our service, and our wing to be a more capable unit than we were last year. I salute the men and women of the 23d Bomb Squadron for their enduring focus on the mission and thank Team Minot for enabling our unit's success."

The award is given in remembrance of Brigadier General Kenneth N. Walker who received the Medal of Honor for "conspicuous leadership above and beyond the call of duty involving personal valor and intrepidity at an extreme hazard to life," according to his citation. As commander of the 5th Bomber Command in 1942-1943, Walker repeatedly accompanied his units on bombing missions deep into enemy-held territory.

On Jan. 5, 1943, in the face of extremely heavy antiaircraft fire and determined opposition by enemy fighters, he led an effective daylight bombing attack against shipping in the harbor at Rabaul, New Britain, which resulted in direct hits on nine enemy vessels, according to his citation. During this action his airplane was disabled and forced down by the attack of an overwhelming number of enemy fighters.

5th Operations Support Squadron: The Ironmen
The 2013 Major Charles J. Loring Jr. Memorial Award was presented to the 5th OSS due to their distinction as the only OSS in the U.S. Air Force to support two legs of the nuclear triad across two separate wings. The squadron supported three combatant commanders in three areas of responsibility, passed two nuclear inspections, a combined unit inspection and a cyber communications readiness inspection with "Excellent" and "Outstanding" ratings. Finally the squadron supported 37 exercises and provided support to 56 units at Minot AFB.

Three OSS teams competed for the award. They include a team at Whiteman AFB, Mo., Barksdale AFB, La., and Minot. The 2nd Operations Support Squadron at Barksdale has won every year since it was first awarded. This is the first time Minot received the trophy.

"It is truly an honor to receive an award named after an American hero and courageous Airman," said Lt. Col. David Gordon, 5th OSS commander.

He went on to say that he has been extremely proud of the incredible work and sacrifice the OSS makes in getting the mission accomplished at Minot.

"No other OSS supports the multiple missions and wings like our OSS supports," said Gordon. "We excel in our support of these missions despite the manning and environmental challenges. I have known that we have the best bomber OSS in AFGSC, but it is nice to have AFGSC recognize it as well."

Moving forward the 5th OSS's focus is not on the award, but on the OSS mission to provide full-spectrum operational support to enable to the nuclear and conventional mission of the 5th Bomb Wing and 91st Missile Wing, said Gordon.

He continued that the ironmen of the OSS are unrivaled in their efforts to support these missions and will continue to provide world-class support to the B-52s and ICBMs.

The Loring Memorial Award is given to the best overall bomber OSS and was named in memory of Medal of Honor winner Major Charles J. Loring, Jr.

On November 22, 1952, Loring was leading a four ship of F-80s over North Korea when he was called in by a ground controller to dive-bomb enemy gun positions that were harassing friendly ground troops. Disregarding intense and accurate ground fire, Loring aggressively pressed his attack until his aircraft was hit, according to his citation. Flying at approximately 4,000 feet, he then deliberately changed course and elected to sacrifice his life by diving his damaged aircraft directly into the enemy. His selfless and heroic action completely destroyed the enemy gun emplacement and eliminated a dangerous threat to United Nations ground forces.

"At the end of the day, our continued ability to ensure both the deterrence and firepower missions at Minot mean much more than a trophy," said Gordon.