23d Bomb Squadron The 23d Bomb Squadron ( 23 BS ) is a United States Air Force unit , assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing . It is stationed at Minot AFB , North Dakota . The mission of the 23BS is to fly the Boeing B - 52H Stratofortress long range bomber . The squadron stands ready to deploy and fly its B - 52Hs to enforce national security policy by being ready to deliver overwhelming nuclear or conventional firepower to destroy targets , worldwide , at any time . The squadron is one of the oldest in the United States Air Force , its origins dating to 16 June 1917 , being organized at Kelly Field , Texas . It deployed to England as part of the American Expeditionary Forces , being engaged as an aircraft repair squadron during World War I . The squadron saw combat during World War II , and became part of the Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) during the Cold War . Unit Patch . The insignia is a blue disk with a black volcano with red lava flowing from the crater , extending upward as red and yellow rays intermingling with clouds . On the front are five black bombs signifying the 23 BS with three on the dexter ( right ) side , and two on the sinister ( left ) side . The patch was approved on 30 September 1931 . On 27 December 1935 fate stepped in , and the unit was actually tasked to drop twenty 600 - pound bombs in the path of the flow of lava from Mauna Loa volcano , thus saving the city of Hilo , Hawaii , from destruction . It is worn proudly by all members and is a constant reminder of their heritage . History . World War I . Originally organized on 16 June 1917 as the 18th Aero Squadron but redesignated 23d six days later , the 23d supported World War I air combat operations serving as an aircraft and engine repair depot organization . Demobilized shortly after the Armistice with Germany ( Compiègne ) . Inter - war years . The 23d was reborn in 1921 and spent the decades of the 1920s and 1930s stationed in Hawaii . There , the squadron flew a number of bomber types , most notably the Keystone bomber series and later the Douglas B - 18 Bolo . It was during the squadron ’ s stay in Hawaii that the event signified by the squadron patch took place . On 27 December 1935 , the Mauna Loa volcano on the island of Hawaii erupted , threatening the city of Hilo . Six Keystones of the 23d used precision bombing tactics to drop twenty 600 - pound bombs in the path of the volcano ’ s lava flow , thus saving the city of Hilo by diverting the lava away from the city . World War II . Part of the 5th Bombardment Group , the 23d fought its way across the Southwest Pacific during World War II . The 23d initially flew Boeing B - 17E Flying Fortress es into combat , replacing those with Consolidated B - 24 Liberator s by early 1943 . Long - range over - water missions were the squadron ’ s forte , and in April 1944 the squadron won its first of two Distinguished Unit Citations for flying the longest over - water bombing mission ever flown to date , some 1 , 300 miles each way , to bomb the Japanese base at Woleai Island . After winning a second DUC for another long range strike against oil refineries on Borneo on 30 September 1944 , the 23d found itself in the Philippines at the close of the war . Cold War . After a brief period in the Far East after the war , the 23d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron relocated to Travis AFB , Calif . , in 1949 . There , the squadron flew global strategic reconnaissance missions with Boeing RB - 29 Superfortress es from 1949 – 51 , Convair R B - 36 F Peacemakers from 1951 – 53 , and RB - 36Hs from 1953 - 55 . On 1 October 1955 , the squadron was again redesignated 23d Bombardment Squadron and reverted to training for long range nuclear strike missions with the same RB - 36Hs . On 13 February 1959 , the 23d entered the jet age when it received its first Boeing B - 52G Stratofortress and also entered the missile age , as the B - 52Gs were equipped with the then - new Stand - off AGM - 28 Hound Dog and ADM - 20 Quail decoy missiles . The squadron flew the B - 52G from Travis until July 1968 . On 25 July 1968 , the 23d moved , without personnel or equipment , to Minot AFB , where it absorbed the personnel , equipment , and B - 52H bombers of the inactivating 720th Bombardment Squadron . The 23d has been combat ready in B - 52Hs since that time , continuously adding improvements in avionics , weapons , and tactics to its arsenal . In 1973 , the squadron was the first unit to receive the AGM - 69 SRAM ( Short Range Attack Missile ) . In 1980 , the 23d gained the Offensive Avionics System , and led Strategic Air Command ’ s venture into modern conventional war fighting as the lead unit for the Strategic Projection Force , in support of the U . S . Rapid Deployment Force . During the 1980s , the squadron pioneered night vision goggle tactics . The 23d added the AGM - 86B ALCM ( Air Launched Cruise Missile ) in 1989 and the AGM - 129 Advanced Cruise Missile ( ACM ) in 1994 .