72d Air Base Wing The 72d Air Base Wing ( 72 ABW ) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Materiel Command Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center ( OC - ALC ) . It is stationed at Tinker Air Force Base , Oklahoma . The wing is also the host unit at Tinker . The diverse , multi - unit , multi - mission wing includes base services and support for the OC - ALC and associate organizations as well as dependents and retirees . Established in 1941 , the 72d is a successor unit to the World War II 72d Reconnaissance Group ( Special ) combat organization that had earned Antisubmarine and American Theater campaign streamers . The 72d Bombardment Wing , Heavy was a component wing of Strategic Air Command ' s heavy bomber deterrent force throughout the Cold War . The wing earned two Air Force Outstanding Unit Award s , flying RB - 36 , B - 52 and KC - 135 aircraft , before its inactivation on 30 June 1971 in Puerto Rico . Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Eric A . Harmon . Components . Units of the 72d ABW are : Heraldry . Emblem : : " Quarterly ; first Azure a seme ' of seven mullets Argent , second and third Or eleven lines radiant from honor point throughout Azure , fourth Azure two mullets in bend sinister Argent , overall a globe gridlines , surmounted by a stylized compass star Celeste outlined and detailed Blue ; all within a diminished bordure Or . " Approved on 29 June 1954 ; modified on 13 October 1995 . History . World War II . Activated during the summer - fall 1941 maneuvers in Louisiana as the 72d Observation Group ; assigned to Third Air Force and stationed at Shreveport Airport , Louisiana with light observation and courier aircraft . Flew observation missions over Fort Polk and Army Maneuvers in Louisiana during 1941 . Later assigned to Fort Riley , Kansas and supported Army maneuvers . Reassigned to the Panama Canal Zone in January 1942 as part of the defense force of the Panama Canal ; assigned to the new Sixth Air Force . The variety of missions assigned to the Group , and the aircraft on which they were carried out , was little short of amazing . Besides many , many coastal , maritime and anti - submarine patrols , the Group ' s airmen also carried mail routinely , conducted numerous search missions for missing — aircraft and vessels , provided reconnaissance and liaison support for the Army ground forces and coast - artillery units in the region , target - towing , and occasional photo - mapping work within Panama and the surrounding areas . In February 1942 , the Group was tasked to conduct periodic patrols of the Perlas Islands group in the Bay of Panama , as well as anti - submarine reconnaissance missions . These daily patrols , to be launched at irregular intervals by North American 0 - 47 ' s , were specifically tasked to hunt for sub¬marines , while two other 0 - 47 ' s were to be held on alert status ( at Hangar 1 ) at Albrook Field for anti - submarine reconnaissance missions that might be handed down from Caribbean Air Force headquarters . Significantly , the results of each of these sub patrols was to be reported in person to the 6th Bomber Command S - 2 ( Intelligence ) by the Flight Commander as soon as it returned . Besides this vital work , the Group also conducted a courier service with 0 - 47 ' s between Albrook and Guatemala City three times each week , stopping en route at Managua , Nicaragua and San Jose , Costa Rica , as well as daily courier services to all of the many aerodromes in the immediate Panama area . Additionally , courier service was operated between the remote Aircraft Warning Service sites that had airstrips and to the nearest aerodrome for those that did not . The Group also detached small elements of Stinson 0 - 49 ' s to the Interceptor and Bomber Command ' s to aid them in their own courier and liaison needs starting in January 1942 . The Group also maintained one 0 - 47 at all times on readiness at Howard Field for search missions . Amongst others , this work was carried out on various models of the Douglas B - 18 , Bell P - 39 , North American 0 - 47 , Stinson 0 - 49 , Curtiss 0 - 52 , the ubiquitous Piper L - 4 and small numbers of Northrop A - 17 , Curtiss A - l8 , Douglas A - 20 and Douglas B - 23 aircraft . Group strength varied greatly . As of 31 January 1942 , it could count 18 0 - 47A ' s , three 0 - 47B ' s and six 0 - 49 ' s . Like other Group - size organizations in the Command , the 72nd Observation Group experi¬enced a dizzying series of contortions and changes , and was finally redesignated as the 72nd Recon¬naissance Group ( Special ) on 19 July 1943 . By this time , however , it had lost the now redesignated 4th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and the 39th Observation Squadron to the Antilles Air Command ( from 1 June ) . Oddly enough , the Group itself apparently never adopted a unit insignia , although some of the subordinate squadrons did ) . The unit was inactivated on 1 November 1943 . Strategic Air Command . Activated in June 1952 as a Strategic Air Command very long range reconnaissance squadron at Ramey AFB , Puerto Rico , but not operational until it absorbed residual resources of 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing in October 1952 when the 55th was reassgigned to the newly activated Forbes AFB , Kansas administratively . Redesignated as 72d Strategic Reconnaissance Wing and received 3 ( 60th , 73rd and 301st ) squadrons of RB - 36D / E / F / H Peacemaker bombers . Conducted global strategic reconnaissance 1953 – 1955 , gradually shifting to a bombardment training mission beginning in 1954 , being upgraded to B - 36J and B - 36J ( III ) Featherweights by 1955 . Redesignated 72d Bombardment Wing and received a squadron of KC - 135A tankers in 1958 . With the phaseout of the B - 36s in 1958 , received B - 52G Stratofortess intercontinental strategic bombers . Stood nuclear alert between 1959 – 1971 with the B - 52G , was equipped with the AGM - 28 Hound Dog cruise missile . Inactivated in 1971 due to a reduction of the number of B - 52 wings , as ICBM s were taking over the nuclear alert duty . The wing earned two Air Force Outstanding Unit Award s , flying RB – 36 [ 1952 – 1958 ] , KC – 135 [ 1958 – 1971 ] and B – 52 [ 1959 – 1971 ] aircraft , before its inactivation . In 1972 SAC activated the Strategic Wing , Provisional 72d at Andersen AFB , Guam . Although assigned the same number , this wing is unrelated to the 72d Air Base Wing . Modern era . Reactivated as a base host wing under Air Force Materiel Command in 1994 . Provides services and support for the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center and its tenant organizations . Components . Squadrons