7th Bomb Wing The 7th Bomb Wing ( 7 BW ) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Twelfth Air Force . It is stationed at Dyess Air Force Base , Texas , where it is also the host unit . The 7 BW is one of only two B - 1B Lancer strategic bombardment wings in the United States Air Force , the other being the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base , South Dakota . Its origins date to the 1918 establishment of the 7th Bombardment Group , one of the 15 original combat air groups formed by the United States Army before World War II . The 7th Operations Group carries the lineage and history of its highly decorated World War II predecessor unit . It operated initially in the Philippines as a B - 17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber unit assigned to Fifth Air Force but after the fall of the Philippines in early 1942 , operated primarily with the Tenth Air Force in India as a B - 24 Liberator unit . Active for over 60 years , the 7 BW was a component wing of Strategic Air Command ' s heavy bomber deterrent force throughout the Cold War . The 7th Bomb Wing is commanded by Brigadier General Glen D . VanHerck . Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Eddie Webb . Mission . 7th Bomb Wing is responsible for providing combat - ready B - 1B aircraft , crews and associate combat support for global engagement taskings , supervising 4 , 000 military and civilian personnel and managing the largest B - 1B base and flying wing with 40 B - 1 aircraft . History . Cold War . Activated on 1 October 1946 as a B - 29 bombardment group and trained with B - 29s in global bombardment operations , November 1947 – December 1948 . Personnel and aircraft of the new group , consisting of the Boeing B - 29 Superfortress , were transferred to Fort Worth AAF from the 92nd Bombardment Group at Spokane AAFld , Washington . With its B - 29s , the 7th prepared its people for any combat eventuality that might arise , flying simulated bombing missions over various cities . On 5 July 1947 , a flight of eight B - 29s of the 492nd Bomb Squadron deployed from Fort Worth AAF to Yokota AB , Japan . Shortly after this the detachment received orders to redeploy to Fort Worth AAF via Washington , D . C . The aircraft left Yokota AB on 2 August , flew over the Aleutian Islands , then into Anchorage , Alaska . From Anchorage the flight flew over Edmonton , Alberta , Canada , turned south and flew over Minnesota and Wisconsin . The bombers flew a low - level flight between The Pentagon and Washington Monument in the Capitol on 3 August . Completing this aerial demonstration , they headed for Fort Worth , landing 31 hours after launch from Japan and covering 7 , 086 miles . On 12 September , the group deployed 30 B - 29s to Giebelstadt Army Airfield , near Würzburg , West Germany . This flight was the largest bomber formation flown from Fort Worth AAF overseas to date , landing in Germany on 13 September . During their ten - day stay , the group bombers participated in training operations over Europe , as well as a show - of - force display by the United States in the early part of the Cold War with the Soviet Union . The flight redeployed from Germany on 23 September . On 17 November 1947 , the 7th Bombardment Wing was established to organize and train a force capable of immediate and sustained long range offensive warfare and operations in any part of the world . The 7th Bombardment Group became its operational component . The wing ' s mission was to prepare for global strategic bombardment in the event of hostilities . Under various designations , the 7th Bomb Wing flew a wide variety of aircraft at the base until its inactivation in 1993 . In June 1948 the first Consolidated B - 36A Peacekeeper was delivered . The first B - 36 was designated the " City of Fort Worth " ( AF Serial No . 44 - 92015 ) , and was assigned to the 492d Bomb Squadron . With the arrival of the B - 36s , the wing was redesignated as the 7th Bombardment Wing , Heavy on 1 August . B - 36s continued to arrive throughout 1948 , with the last B - 29 being transferred on 6 December to the 97th Bomb Group at Biggs AFB . For 10 years , the " Peacemaker " cast a large shadow on the Iron Curtain and served as our nations major deterrent weapons system . As part of the 7th Bomb Wing , the 11th Bomb Group was activated on 1 December with the 26th , 42nd , and 98th Bomb Squadrons , Heavy , were activated and assigned . The 11th Bomb Group was equipped with B - 36As for training purposes . A five ship B - 36 formation was flown on 15 January 1949 , in an air review over Washington , D . C . , commemorating the inauguration of the President of the United States , Harry S . Truman . In February 1949 , a B - 50 Superfortress ( developed from the famed B - 29 ) and named " Lucky Lady II " took off from Carswell for the first nonstop flight around the world . She returned to Carswell after mid - air refueling , flying 23 , 108 miles , and remaining aloft for ninety - four hours and one minute . In January 1951 , the 7th took part in a special training mission to the United Kingdom . The purpose of the mission was to evaluate the B - 36D under simulated war plan conditions . Also , further evaluate the equivalent airspeed and compression tactics for heavy bombardment aircraft . The aircraft , staging through Limestone AFB , Maine , would land at RAF Lakenheath , United Kingdom , following a night radar bombing attack on Helgoland , West Germany . From there the bombers would conduct a simulated bomb run on the Heston Bomb Plot , London , finally landing at RAF Lakenheath . This was the first deployment of wing and SAC B - 36 aircraft to England and Europe . For the next four days the flight flew sorties out of England . The aircraft redeployed to the states on 20 January arriving at Carswell on 21 January . On 10 December 1957 , the 98th Bomb Squadron was detached from the wing and assigned to the newly activated 4123rd Strategic Wing at Carswell . This would become the first Boeing B - 52 Stratofortress unit at Carswell . During January 1958 , the wing began transferring its B - 36 bombers to various SAC wings . On 20 January , the wing transferred all B - 52 equipment and property on hand to the 4123rd Strategic Wing in order to facilitate that organization ' s conversion , which was scheduled several months ahead of the 7th Bomb Wing at Carswell . The 7th Bomb Wing officially became a B - 52 organization with the adoption of manning documents and equipping authorizations on 1 February 1958 . On 30 May , Memorial Day , the last of the B - 36 ' s in the wing were retired with appropriate ceremonies and " Open House " . Air Force and civilian personnel of the base , and civilians from surrounding communities were on hand to bid the " Peacemaker " a fond farewell . This last flight of a B - 36 phased out completely the B - 36 program in the wing . During the late 1950s and early 1960s , the primary mission of the wing was training in global strategic bombardment and air refueling operations . On 13 April 1965 , the 7 BW deployed its forces to Andersen Air Force Base , Guam to support SAC combat operations in Southeast Asia . Most of the wing ' s bombers and tankers , along with aircrews and some support personnel , were deployed . At Andersen AFB , the wing flew more than 1 , 300 missions over Vietnam , and returned to Carswell in December 1965 . B - 52 crews were sent through an intensive two - week course on the B - 52D , making them eligible for duty in Southeast Asia . B - 52s assigned to combat duty in Vietnam were painted in a modified camouflage scheme with the undersides , lower fuselage , and both sides of the vertical fin being painted in a glossy black . The USAF serial number was painted in black on the fin over a horizontal red stripe across the length of the fin . The B - 52 effort was concentrated primarily against suspected Viet Cong targets in South Vietnam , but the Ho Chi Minh Trail and targets in Laos were also hit . During the relief of Khe Sanh , unbroken waves of six aircraft , attacking every three hours , dropped bombs as close as 900 feet from friendly lines . Cambodia was increasingly bombed by B - 52s from March 1969 onward . By mid - 1973 most wing KC - 135 resources had redeployed , and most B - 52 resources returned by January 1974 . The wing resumed nuclear alert status on 3 January 1974 . From 4 December 1973 to May 1975 , the wing conducted B - 52D replacement training , and from January 1974 also conducted B - 52D combat crew training , i . e . , providing B - 52 flight training to novice crews . Beginning in June 1974 the wing also conducted B - 52 and KC - 135 Central Flight Instructors ' courses . Participated in numerous USAF and NATO exercises worldwide . Used B - 52s for ocean surveillance and ship identification in joint naval operations . Wing KC - 135 aerial refuelers supported tanker task forces worldwide . In October – November 1983 , the wing supported the invasion of Grenada with aerial refueling . In the 1980s the base received several new weapons systems , including modified B - 52H aircraft . In 1983 , B - 52 crews began training with a new weapon system , the SRAM ( Short Range Attack Missile ) and later , in 1985 , the ALCM ( Air Launched Cruise Missile ) . Also , the wing flew numerous atmospheric sampling missions during 1986 and 1987 in response to the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident . Deployed air refueling personnel and equipment to provisional wings in Southwest Asia , August 1990 – February 1992 . The wing hosted the first Soviet START ( Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty ) exhibition inspection team in September 1991 . Modern era . Began preparations for base closure at Carswell AFB in January 1992 . Released of all operational capabilities on 1 January 1993 . Closed Carswell AFB on 30 September 1993 and moved to Dyess AFB , TX , without personnel or equipment , on 1 October 1993 . Equipped with B - 1B and C - 130 aircraft , the 7 Wing regained its combat and worldwide tactical airlift missions . In 1997 , assumed responsibility for all B - 1B initial qualification and instructor upgrade training for Air Combat Command . Since 2000 , provided bombing , airlift support , training and combat support to combatant commanders . Components . Groups Squadrons