5th Operations Group The 5th Operations Group ( 5 OG ) is an operational component of the United States Air Force 5th Bomb Wing , stationed at Minot Air Force Base , North Dakota . Its mission is to manage and operate B - 52H Stratofortress bombers serve as part of the Air Force ' s conventional and strategic combat force . The group is one of the oldest units in the United States Air Force , being a successor organization of the 5th Group ( Composite ) , one of the 15 original combat air groups formed by the Army before World War II . Units . The 5 OG commands the following squadrons ( Tail Code : MT ) : Heraldry . The group ' s emblem , approved in 1924 , features a winged death ' s head as an uncompromising symbol of its combat mission History . The 5th Operations Group ’ s history dates back more than eight decades to the infancy of military aviation . It originally activated as the 2nd Group ( Observation ) 15 August 1919 , at Luke Field in the Territory of Hawaii . In 1921 , the group was redesignated the 5th Group ( Observation ) . A year later , it became the 5th Group ( Pursuit and Bombardment ) with its crews flying DeHaviland DH - 4 aircraft . Activities included training , participating in Army - Navy maneuvers , staging aerial reviews and sowing seeds from the air for the Territorial Forestry Division . In 1935 , the group helped save the city of Hilo , Hawaii , during the eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano . Ten Keystone B - 3 and B - 4 bombers from the group ’ s 23d and 72d Bombardment Squadron s dropped 20 , 600 - pound bombs around the volcano to divert molten lava away from the town . Redesignated 5th Bombardment Group in March 1938 , 5th Bombardment Group ( Medium ) in December 1939 , and 5th Bombardment Group ( Heavy ) in November 1940 . Equipped with Boeing B - 17 Flying Fortress es and Douglas B - 18 Bolos by December 1941 . World War II . The 5th Bombardment Group suffered devastating casualties and equipment damage during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor , Hickam Field and other targets on the island of Oahu on 7 December 1941 . However , the group ’ s aircrews went on to become the first U . S . military forces to take to the air following the attack . Assigned to Seventh Air Force in February 1942 . Engaged primarily in search and patrol missions off Hawaii from December 1941 to November 1942 . In Hawaii , the B - 17E - equipped 5th and 11th Bombardment Groups were used in the Battle of Midway to attack Japanese surface fleets . High - altitude bombing attacks against moving ships capable of evasive action proved to be completely unsuccessful at Midway . Although several attacks were made by the B - 17s , none of their bombs actually hit a single Japanese ship . An attack against naval vessels at sea was found to be a job best done by low - altitude B - 25 Mitchell / B - 26 Marauder medium bomber s or by Douglas A - 24 Banshee dive bomber s . Left Hawaii in November 1942 and , operating primarily from Pekoa Airfield , Espírito Santo in the New Hebrides Islands with a mix of B - 17 and B - 24 aircraft , served in combat with Thirteenth Air Force during the Allied drive from the Solomons to the Philippines . Flew long patrol and photographic missions over the Solomon Islands and the Coral Sea , attacked Japanese shipping off Guadalcanal , and raided airfields in the northern Solomons until August 1943 . Then struck enemy bases and installations on Bougainville , New Britain , and New Ireland . The group moved between various bases in the Southwest Pacific and by mid - 1943 , most B - 17s were withthdrawn in favor of the longer - ranged Consolidated B - 24 Liberator . The B - 24 was better suited for operations in the Pacific , having a higher speed and a larger bombload at medium altitudes . In addition , the losses in Europe were reaching such magnitudes that the entire B - 17 production was urgently needed for replacements and training in that theatre . Raided the heavily defended Japanese base on Woleai during April and May 1944 and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for the action . Helped to neutralize enemy bases on Yap and in the Truk and Palau Islands , June – August 1944 , preparatory to the invasion of Peleliu and Leyte . Flew missions to the Netherlands Indies , receiving a DUC for an attack , conducted through heavy flak and fighter defenses , on oil installations at Balikpapan , Borneo , on 30 September 1944 . Completed a variety of missions from October 1944 until the end of the war , these operations including raids on enemy bases and installations on Luzon , Ceram , Halmahera , and Formosa ; support for ground forces in the Philippines and Borneo ; and patrols off the China coast . Moved to the Philippines in 1945 till the end of the war . During the nearly four years of war , the group participated in 10 major campaigns , flew more than 1 , 000 combat missions and earned two Distinguished Unit Citations and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation . During the time , its members accumulated more than 13 , 300 medals and decorations . Post / Cold War . Remained in the theater as part of Far East Air Forces after the war , but all personnel evidently had been withdrawn by early in 1946 . Redesignated 5th Bombardment Group ( Very Heavy ) in April 1946 , and 5th Reconnaissance Group in February 1947 . Between 1947 and 1958 , the group underwent several name and assignment changes while continually upgrading its aircraft . Performed long - range strategic reconnaissance , July 1949 – October 1955 , with some limited reconnaissance to September 1958 . Operational squadrons were 23d , 31st and 72d Strategic Reconnaissance flying Boeing RB - 17G / F - 2 / F - 9 / F - 13 aircraft ( 1947 – 49 ) and beginning in 1948 , Boeing RB - 29 aircraft until 1951 . Not operational from 10 February 1951 until the group was inactivated on 16 June 1952 when the 5th Reconnaissance Wing implemented the Tri - Deputate organization plan and assigned all flying elements directly to the wing . Modern era . Reactivated in September 1991 when the 5th Bombardment Group implemented the Objective Wing organization , assigning all flying units to the 5th Operations Group . Budgetary cuts in 1996 led to a need for further force reductions which reduced the 5th ' s B - 52H fleet . The 72d BS was inactivated late in the year and their 12 aircraft were retired . In the weeks following the terrorist attacks against the United States on 11 September 2001 , the 5th BW deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . Flying from a forward operating location , bomber crews attacked strategic targets in Afghanistan to topple the Taliban regime . In 2003 , the wing deployed approximately 550 people and 14 B - 52s to the U . S . European Command region in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . During the war , the wing ’ s B - 52s flew more than 120 combat missions and logged more than 1 , 600 combat flying hours . The bombers dropped more than 3 million pounds of weaponry , including conventional air - launched cruise missiles , joint direct attack munitions , gravity weapons , laser - guided bombs and leaflet dispensers . For the first time in combat history , a 5th BW crew employed a Litening II targeting pod to strike targets at an Iraqi airfield 11 April 2003 . In March 2004 , the wing sent six B - 52s and over 300 support personnel to Andersen AFB , Guam . The aircraft and crews supported U . S . Pacific Command operations to provide a stabilizing military force in the region . In April 2005 , the wing forward deployed aircraft and personnel to the 40th Air Expeditionary Wing in support of U . S . Central Command combat operations in Afghanistan . Flying a mix of close air support and strike missions , 5th BW crews ensured success of ground combat units in meeting their objectives . Today , the 5th ' s B - 52Hs are a major component of the USAF ' s strategic bombing force , alongside the Rockwell B - 1B Lancer and the Northrop B - 2A Spirit . The USAF is currently considering converting some of its B - 52Hs to EB - 52Hs to act as a stand - off electronic warfare platform . During Operation Allied Force ( the bombing of Serbia undertaken in an attempt to halt the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo ) , the USAF found that additional jamming aircraft were needed to supplement the current fleet of Grumman EA - 6A / B Prowler . With modern technology and advanced weapons like the JDAM and JASSM , the 5th ' s B - 52 are expected to remain operational until the year 2040 . In 2007 the Wing lost its commanding officer after Colonel Bruce Emig was removed in connection with the 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident , when negligent handling of nuclear weapons breached safety and security procedures . Emig was replaced by Joel S . Westa . Following that incident , the wing failed a nuclear surety inspection conducted by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency in May 2008 . The wing , however , kept its certification to perform missions and training with nuclear weapons . On 30 October 2009 Westa was relieved as commander of the 5th Bomb Wing by Major General Floyd L . Carpenter , commander of 8th Air Force . Carpenter stated that Westa was relived due to his " inability to foster a culture of excellence , a lack of focus on the strategic mission … and substandard performance during several nuclear surety inspections , including the newly activated 69th Bomb Squadron . " Colonel Douglas Cox was appointed new wing commander .