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(Editor’s note: This is part one in a series about the aircraft in the Dyess’ Linear Air Park, written in the voice of the aircraft. This story was written by Airman 1st Class Katherine Miller, 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs. For more information about the air park or for the monthly walking tour of the park, contact Public Affairs at 325-696-4820.)
I been around for quite some time – 64 years to be exact. I done things during times of peace and time of war and here I am, still goin’ just as strong as I was on the first day. I’m a dang heavy bomber with a fixin’ to unleash global combat air power… anytime, anywhere.
Some wisenheimer that use’ta pester me thought it’d be funny to pick on the big guy, calling me the Big, Ugly, Fat Fellow, but the name has stuck with me over the years, considerin’ I weigh about 488,000 pounds.
The name is Buff, by the way, if ya didn’t know.
People say I can be a little uppity and intimidating. I ain’t meanin’ to seem too big for my britches but you can hear me a’comin’ from quite a few miles yonder. Though I am a bit large, my interior ain’t the most accommodatin’ – my cabin and cockpit are packed tighter than two coats of paint. I do make up for my lack of with space for weaponry, though. I’m capable of holding over 70,000 pounds of bombs, mines and missiles. I’d say that’s pretty dang impressive.
Anyway, my story begins way back in 1946, during the Army Air Forces time, prolly way before you was even thought of. I was known as XB-52 for a lil’ while and was designed to be a straight-wing bomber with some six engine doohickeys that was propeller-powered. As you can see, that idea didn’t last too long thanks to Boeing’s then – Chief Engineer, Ed Wells and his crew. Them Yankees designed me as I am now in a hotel room in Dayton, Ohio in 1948 sometime.
Air Materiel Command approved my design and in 1951, a few of my brothers and sisters was produced. Eventually, our layout changed just a piddlin’. We were given bigger engines to accommodate the extra weight I done packed on. Eventually I was turbofan-powered as the B-52H and took off on my first flight in March of 1961, back when JFK was running the White House. Heck, I’m gettin’ old.
Since then, I been goin’ strong and settin’ new records. I member it like it was yesterday. It was ‘round January 1962, and little did I know, I was about to break 11 distance and speed records. From Japan to Spain, I flew a whoppin’ 12,500 miles nonstop – pretty impressive, but what really makes me proud to be a veteran is all my contributions to the wars over the last couple’a decades.
I finally saw active duty during the Vietnam War and got to be a part of the Persian Gulf War.
Durin’ my time in ‘Nam, I helped out a heap with tactical support of our ground kinfolk. I done frazzled the adversaries’ focus and kicked up a ruckus at sum’a their spots for supplies. Til’ my operations was ceased, I flew ‘bout 124,500 sorties. Now all that is dandy, but we definitely done suffered some. I lost 31 of my brothers and sisters out there. Them Viet Cong Charlies shot down 18 of my siblins’ then lost 13 to some operational issues, too. Oh, and a lil’ tidbit that ya maybe didn’t know is that I was actually at Dyess for a lil’ while during this time at the 96th Bomb Wing.
Back when the Persian Gulf War broke out and the U.S. wanted to give Iraq the boot from Kuwait, me and six of my siblins’ helped stir up some trouble during Operation Desert Storm. Together, we supplied ‘round 40 percent of the bombs that rained down, right on target.
I also helped with some war efforts in Afghanistan with my B-1 relative. I recall the night of October 7, 2001 during Operation Enduring Freedom. That night, we did some’a those night strikes on 31 targets.
Also, I reckon you ‘member Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom? Well, me and my conventional cruise missiles was launched during quite a few contingencies ‘round this time. On September 2nd and 3rd, 1996 durin’ Operation Desert Strike in particular, I ‘member 13 conventional air launched cruise missiles (CALCM’s) struck Baghdad pretty hard. At this time, it just so happened to be the longest distance flown durin’ a combat mission. 16,000 miles round trip and 34 flight hours. Oh, and those CALCM’s I done told ya ‘bout? Well, I also launched quite a few of those during Operation Iraqi Freedom, too. I reckon for ‘bout a total of 100 one time durin’ a night mission.
I wasn’t fibbin’ ya when I said I been ‘round to see a lot of things… I ain’t ready to hang up my cap just yet, and if I had my druthers, I wouldn’t ever be done.
I’m still operatin’ up at the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base and both the 2nd Bomb Wing for Air Force Global Strike Command and 307th Bomb Wing, an Air Force Reserve Command down at Barksdale Air Force Base.
If ya ever wanna get a looky at me n’ all my glory, I’m sittin’ over at the Dyess Air Force Base Air Park. Here, I may look like I’m not up to much… But you can bet your bottom dollar that in other parts of the country or even the world, I’m still deliverin’ uncompromisin’ strategic deterrence and devastatin’ global combat airpower.
Well, I’ma skedaddle now – hope I didn’t scare ya off. Don’t you be a stranger now, ‘specially now that I done told ya all ‘bout me. Stop on by sometime; I’d be much obliged!
| Date Taken: | 08.11.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2016 16:11 |
| Story ID: | 217710 |
| Location: | DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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