93rd Bomb Squadron awarded Best Bomb Squadron

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Greg Steele
  • 307th Bomb Wing
Barksdale AFB, La. --  The 307th Bomb Wing's 93rd Bomb Squadron was awarded the LeMay Trophy for the best bomb squadron during the 2011 Air Force Global Strike Command's Global Strike Challenge on Nov 9.

"Communication, in-flight planning, time on target, bomb score and numerous other items are factored in for the final win," said Lt. Col. Dave Leedom, 93 BS commander. "It shows that our maintenance personnel consistently give us great equipment to accomplish the mission."

Global Strike Challenge is a competition that includes operations, maintenance, and security forces participants from both the missile and bomber communities. This year, approximately 400 service members competed to be the best of the best.

"It's interesting to note the highest scoring wing operation out of all of the wings, not just the B-52, was the 307th BW," said Leedom. "The final score was a combination of the 93rd and the 11th Bomb Squadron scores, with both squadrons using jets provided by our excellent Total Force Enterprise maintainers." In July of this year, the 93rd completed its bomber operations portion for the competition but had to wait until the score posting this week to get the final results.

Much of the Global Strike Challenge took place at the respective units' home bases over the last several months, with B-2s, B-52s and B-1s flying sorties to the Smoky Hill Air National Guard Bombing Range in Kansas.

The winning crew was Capt. Michael Gough, aircraft commander; Maj. Jesse Hildebrand, pilot; Lt. Col. Curtis McClure, radar navigator; Lt. Col. Alan Ringle, navigator; and Lt. Col. Richard Holt, electronic warfare officer.

"All facets of the 307th Bomb Wing maintenance, weapons and operations came together and operated seamlessly to put bombs on time and on target with great results," said Capt. Michael Gough, B-52 aircraft commander. "Everyone involved worked together and trusted each other to do a superb job. It was an opportunity for us to display the great things an organization can accomplish when put to the task."

"The credit should go to the maintainers that generated the jet, the munitions troops that loaded the bombs, and the crew doing their jobs well," said Maj. Jesse Hildebrand, 93 BS pilot for the competition mission. "Everyone I flew with were combat veterans and had a wealth of experience in the B-52."

Leedom says the contributing factors to the win were consistently maintained jets, good planning and very experienced professional crewmembers. "Over the last few years with our huge integration with active duty and our inclusion in the nuclear enterprise we have been very busy, but the expertise and skill of our aircrew and maintainers have again proven we are 100 percent in the game," said Brig. Gen. John Mooney III, 307th Bomb Wing commander.