97th Air Mobility Wing The 97th Air Mobility Wing ( 97 AMW ) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Nineteenth Air Force . It is stationed at Altus Air Force Base , Oklahoma . The wing is also the host unit at Altus . It plans and executes C - 17 Globemaster III and KC - 135 Stratotanker enlisted aircrew training , providing formal school initial and advanced specialty training programs for up to 3000 students annually . The training is done in a three phase approach : Academic Phase , Simulator Phase , and Flying Phase . Active for over 60 years , the 97th Bombardment Wing was a component organization of Strategic Air Command ' s deterrent force during the Cold War , as a strategic bombardment wing . During World War II , the 97th Operations Group ' s predecessor unit , the 97th Bombardment Group was the first VIII Bomber Command B - 17 Flying Fortress bombardment group to fly a heavy bomber mission from the United Kingdom against the Rouen - Sotteville marshalling yards in France . It launched the attack from RAF Polebrook on 17 August 1942 . In 1947 , the 97th was originally a temporary organization , composed of components of the 97th Bombardment Group and the 519th Air Service Group . The Air Force was conducting a service test of a combat wing structure that elevated the wing headquarters to the highest echelon of command on the base . This gave the wing commander the authority to direct activities rather than merely request that his flying mission receive support from the base support group commander . Designated the " Tri - Deputate " organization , this organization blueprint became the standard for Air Force wings until the introduction of the current " Objective Wing " organization in 1991 . The 97th Air Mobility Wing is commanded by Colonel Anthony B . " Tony " Krawietz . It ' s Command Chief Master Sergeant is CMSgt David A . Fish . The wing ' s operational mission is , in conjunction with its training mission , to have its instructor force maintain operational currency so that they , as highly qualified combat - ready aircrew members , can deploy to augment worldwide contingencies . The 97th maintains approximately 500 mobility personnel ready to deploy all over the world in a moments notice in support of national interests . History . Operational history . Cold War . On 1 December 1947 , the 97th Bombardment Wing , Very Heavy was established , and the unit was reassigned to Mile 26 Air Field ( later named Eielson Air Force Base ( AFB ) , Alaska ) on that date . The new wing reported to Fifteenth Air Force , Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) , although the Yukon Sector of the Alaskan Air Command controlled its operations . Operational squadrons of the 97th BW were the 340th , 341st and 342d Bomb Squadrons The 97th was originally a temporary organization , made of components of the 97th Bombardment Group and the 519th Air Service Group , deployed from Smoky Hill Air Force Base , Kansas . The Air Force was conducting a service test of a combat wing structure that elevated the wing headquarters to the highest echelon of command on the base . This gave the wing commander the authority to direct activities rather than merely request that his flying mission receive support . The wing consisted of a combat group , an airfield group , a maintenance and supply group , and a medical group . The unit ' s March 1948 history stated : " The mission of the 97th Bombardment Wing ( VHB ) is to man , train , and maintain a self - sustaining strategic bombardment group capable of operations in any theater . " While in Alaska the 97th flew B - 29 Superfortress training missions over the Arctic Ocean , testing the aircraft and maintenance crews in the harsh climate . At the end of the Alaskan deployment the wing returned to Smoky Hill AFB , near Salina , Kansas , in March 1948 . Throughout its existence the 97th contributed to the deterrence of nuclear war with the former Soviet Union by being prepared to execute Emergency War Order ( EWO ) assignments . It continually demonstrated its resolve in the same manner as other SAC bombardment wings , primarily by maintaining the " CHROME DOME " aerial alert capability and by keeping crews on ground alert , capable of launching bomber sorties within minutes . The wing ' s tankers participated in the Atlantic , Pacific , European , and Alaskan Tanker Task Force s , ensuring that the bombers would be able to reach their targets . Until the Soviet Union ' s demise in 1989 the crews of the 97th trained for war , unless other world events demanded their attention . Consolidation . While at Smoky Hill AFB , the wing was attached to the 301st Bombardment Wing , Very Heavy , for further training and to assist the 301st prepare for its upcoming move to Germany . The 301st never moved , hence the 97th moved to Biggs AFB , El Paso , Texas , on 22 May 1948 , only two short months later . Meanwhile , the Eighth Air Force assumed control of the wing on 16 May 1948 . Eighth Air Force discontinued the 97th Bombardment Wing , Very Heavy , on 12 July 1948 and subsequently redesignated it the 97th Bombardment Wing , Medium , and activated it on the same date . This made the 97th a permanent combat wing . The combat wing service test was over , leaving the 97th with a combat group , an air base group , a maintenance and supply group , and a medical group . Biggs AFB , Texas . The 97th , under SAC , took over operation of Biggs AFB from the departing 47th Bombardment Group , Light Jet , a Tactical Air Command unit . Biggs AFB would remain the wing ' s home for over ten years . As the 1940s ended , changes were on the horizon for the 97th ' s flying mission . Early in 1950 the 97th received its first B - 50 Superfortress , an improved version of the B - 29 capable of delivering atomic weapons . As crews trained and became qualified in the B - 50 , the wing transferred some of its B - 29s to other units . Aerial refueling increased the new bomber ' s range and brought a new flying mission to the wing . The 97th Air Refueling Squadron , activated in March 1949 , saw its manning increase as it received its first KB - 29P in January 1950 . Its mission , as stated in the wing ' s history , was : " to extend the range of the strategic bombers . " The 97th was the first unit to operate the new boom - type or " American - type " equipment . As such it had the burden of testing the equipment and standardizing the operating procedures . The unit received KC - 97 Stratotanker s in 1954 to replace its KB - 29s . The 97th experienced two mission changes in 1955 . First , the 340th Bombardment Squadron , a subordinate unit , started flying RB - 50G s on electronic reconnaissance missions . The 340th went to Upper Heyford RAF Station , England and Japan on intelligence gathering missions and operated in this capacity for over a year . Meanwhile , the other bombardment squadrons in the 97th started replacing the propeller - driven B - 50s with new B - 47E Stratojet swept - wing medium bombers in 1954 , capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union . The wing conducted training missions and participated in various SAC exercises and deployments with the Stratojet and aerial refueling until December 1958 when SAC rendered it inoperable . Some of the 97th ' s crews went to other B - 47 units , while others began training for duty in the Air Force ' s latest bomber , the B - 52 Stratofortress . Re - assigned to Arkansas . The 97th moved to Blytheville Air Force Base , ( later named Eaker AFB ) , in northeast Arkansas , after SAC reassigned the wing to the 4th Air Division on 1 July 1959 . Later that year SAC redesignated it the 97th Bombardment Wing , Heavy ; its new mission was " to provide command and staff supervision over assigned combat tactical units that execute bombardment missions designed to destroy enemy forces and facilities . " The wing ' s first B - 52G , City of Blytheville , Arkansas , arrived in January 1960 . That summer , SAC declared the 97th combat - ready and slightly changed the scope of the mission statement . Now operational , the 97th " was to conduct strategic bombardment operations on a global scale , either independently or in cooperation with land and sea forces . " The wing ' s bomber crews , who were assigned to the , would fly their share of Operation Chrome Dome missions , which kept a number of SAC ' s B - 52s on airborne alert . In the early 1960s the 97th received missiles that would improve its B - 52 ' s survivability during penetration into enemy territory . On 27 September 1960 the 97th deployed its first GAM - 77 / AGM - 28 Hound Dog , capable of delivering a nuclear warhead from its launch point , to defeat heavy air defenses . Four months later , on 31 January 1961 , the GAM - 77 / ADM - 20 Quail entered the 97th ' s arsenal . The Quail was a decoy that could generate radar and heat signatures resembling those of a B - 52 , thereby saturating the enemy ' s defenses . The aerial refueling capability of the KC - 135 Stratotanker s extended the range of the wing ' s B - 52s . On 12 January 1962 , the 97th received its first KC - 135 , christened the Arkansas Traveler before its first mission three days later . Along with refueling the B - 52s on training missions , the tankers participated in an ongoing command - wide rotation to bases in Southern Europe to support Operation Chrome Dome bombers . Cuban Missile Crisis . The political climate grew tense in October 1962 as Cuba began preparing sites for offensive Soviet missiles . On 22 October SAC responded by establishing Defense Condition Three ( DEFCON III ) , and ordered the 97th to place two B - 52s on airborne alert . Tension grew and the next day SAC declared DEFCON II , a heightened state of alarm . While at DEFCON II the 97th maintained two B - 52s on airborne alert . These , along with bombers from other SAC wings , were ready to strike targets within the Soviet Union . One of the 97th ' s bombers carried Hound Dog and Quail missiles , the other carried nuclear and conventional ordnance . No missions were aborted or canceled during the crisis . The 97th and other units deployed more tankers to Spain to refuel the alert force . Reconnaissance photographs taken on 1 November 1962 indicated that the Cubans had begun dismantling the sites . The wing returned to DEFCON III on 15 November and subsequently resumed normal activity on 20 November . Vietnam War . The 97th ' s involvement in the Vietnam War started slowly , but would demand the wing ' s undivided attention before ending . Its involvement began on 14 December 1965 when the wing sent one KC - 135 to participate in YOUNG TIGER , the operation to refuel fighters involved in the war . At first , the wing ' s B - 52s remained at Blytheville while bomber crews went to Guam to fly ARC LIGHT bombing missions . However , by the summer of 1972 all the 97th ' s bombers were at Guam . From there wing crews flew LINEBACKER II ( sometimes called the " 11 - Day War " because of its intensity ) missions in December 1972 . On 18 December 1972 Hanoi ' s air defenses claimed the lives of nine crew members during this operation , while North Vietnamese ground forces captured another four and held them as prisoners of war . On 15 August 1973 , after months of committing most of the wing ' s people and resources to the war , crew E - 21 had the distinction of flying the last mission over a target in Cambodia . This marked the end of the United States ' bombing in Southeast Asia . Resumption of Global Mission . The 97th resumed its bomber training and refueling missions after the Vietnam War ended while it continued to participate in contingency operations and assume new roles . Tanker crews and aircraft refueled other Air Force units supporting the rescue of American citizens in Grenada in October and November 1983 . In 1984 the wing upgraded its B - 52G force to carry the AGM - 86B air - launched cruise missile ( ALCM ) . The wing further expanded its mission in 1987 to include conventional bombing , sea search and surveillance , and aerial mining . Desert Storm . After Iraq ' s August 1990 invasion of neighboring Kuwait , the 97th began deploying elements to various locations in the United States and overseas to support Operation DESERT SHIELD . In late December , 97th Bombardment Wing B - 52 crews practiced high altitude bombing missions at the Nellis AFB test range in Nevada , anticipating their role in the inevitable war to come . Once Operation DESERT STORM was underway the nature of the wing ' s involvement changed . At the end of January 1991 six of the wing ' s bombers and crews assumed ground alert duty at Wurtsmith AFB , Michigan , allowing the 379th Bombardment Wing , stationed at Wurtsmith , to participate in Operation DESERT STORM . On 1 February 1991 major elements of the 97th deployed to RAF Fairford , United Kingdom , forming the 806th Bombardment Wing ( Provisional ) . The wing conducted over 60 conventional bombing sorties and many air - refueling sorties . The 97th : Re - Invented . As the Air Force began reorganizing in 1991 , it redesignated the wing as the 97th Wing on 1 September , and inactivated it on 1 April 1992 . On 1 October 1992 the Air Force activated the wing at Altus AFB , Oklahoma , and redesignated it the 97th Air Mobility Wing under Air Mobility Command . At the same time the Air Force inactivated the 443d Military Airlift Wing , which had been the host wing at Altus AFB since 5 May 1969 . Less than a year later , on 1 July 1993 , Air Education and Training Command assumed control of the 97th . The redesignated wing possessed C - 5 Galaxies , C - 141 Starlifter s , and KC - 135 Stratotanker s ; it subsequently started to add C - 17 Globemaster III s in March 1996 . The 97th ' s new mission was : to conduct strategic airlift , aerial delivery , aerial refueling training schools , conduct training for AMC aircrews , . . . provide strategic aircraft support for Joint Chiefs of Staff Single Integrated Operational Plan and conventional contingencies , provide aerial port of embarkation for US Army , Fort Sill , Oklahoma , and accomplish other tasks when assigned by higher authority . It no longer contains the C - 5 Galaxy aircraft . It has been moved to Lackland Air Force Base , San Antonio , Texas . Today the 97 AMW consists of the following major units : Components . Groups Squadrons