Whiteman Air Force Base receives prestigious award
The U.S. Strategic Command honored Whiteman Air Force Base on Monday with the Omaha trophy for their hard work in 2024.
KC firefighter's death highlights rise in violence against health care workers nationwide
There are four categories for the award. The 509th Bomb Wing received the Omaha Trophy for Excellence in Strategic Execution.
Col. Keith Butler is commander of the 509th Bomb Wing and Whiteman Air Force Base.
He said the committee highlighted a few reasons why they were awarded this trophy, including a combat mission last fall in Yemen, as well as a bomber task force deployment.
'This is where we take, they take a couple of different bombers, whether they're B-1s, B-2s or B-52s, and send them off to different parts around the world,' Butler said. 'To ensured hat both our allies can be assured of our nations nuclear umbrella our ability to do strategic engagement and to work on the inner ability to showcase that partnership.'
The U.S. Strategic Command consultation committee helps make the decision each year.
FOX4 is told the Omaha Trophy is the highest distinction awarded to a nuclear-enterprise unit by a civilian organization. They say it recognizes units that demonstrate 'exceptional performance in global strategic deterrence.'
Looking ahead to keeping this trophy next year, Butler said they're currently in another deployment to Diego Garcia.
See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri
He said it's the largest B2 deployment in the history of the program, more than 30 years.
'All the folks that are out there are handling the tasking that has been placed before us, are doing it with professionalism, with competence and again with confidence,' he added. 'So I think we've got a running start for 2025.'
FOX4 is told the last time Whiteman Air Force Base received the Omaha Trophy was in 2018.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
New Annapolis program teaches children in underserved communities how to sail
A new program in Annapolis is giving children from underserved communities the chance to learn how to sail, and showing them the Chesapeake Bay is theirs to enjoy. The "From Swimming to Sailing" Youth Empowerment Program, launched this summer by the nonprofit 2-CM Dreams, welcomed eight young sailors for a week of on-the-water learning, mentorship, and fun at the Annapolis Sailing School. On their first day, 10-year-old Logan Abany and 11-year-old Brittany Diaz weren't sure what to expect. "Pretty nervous," Logan admitted. "At first it was scary, but now that we've been out here for a couple of days, I'm not that scared," Brittany said. A few days in, both were confidently steering sailboats through Annapolis waters. "I've just seen the confidence and the team building and the excitement," said Jeanette Duncan, Vice President of 2-CM Dreams. "It allows you to have that freedom," said Gregory Gwaltney, the Senior Environmental Scientist with Blacks of the Chesapeake. The program was designed to give children from underserved communities their first real access to the Bay. Local businesses, nonprofits, and private citizens stepped up to cover the costs of the camp. "Everybody chipped in," Duncan said. Local restaurants, including Main and Market, provided meals. "To contribute to them learning how to sail and be on the water and become skippers, it's a lifelong sport that kids should be able to enjoy," said Main and Market V.P. Evie Turner. Blacks of the Chesapeake and the Annapolis Police Department played key roles in making the program happen. "You couldn't help but notice the smiles on these kids. They were just exuberant," Gwaltney said. "We realize that a lot of our youth live in communities that are surrounded by water, and they don't have the opportunities to actually get out and explore this," said Cpl. Jamal Davis, with the Annapolis Police Department. Throughout the week, campers learned everything from boat safety to sailing techniques. "We learned how to rig the boat and de-rig the boat," Brittany said. "Tacking and driving," said Logan. For Duncan, the goal is to expand the program so more kids can participate. "The fact that these kids who never even had access to the water… now they're having fun sailing — and they want to come back next year," she said. Business and private citizens looking to help sponsor a sailor next summer can visit this website.
10-08-2025
Unlikely reunion between 2 World War II veterans
A radio navigator on a B-17 bomber and a ground crew armorer, who both served in Italy, reconnected after they were discovered to be living about 15 minutes away from each other.
Business Insider
09-08-2025
- Business Insider
I visited the only B-2 stealth bomber on display in the world. Take a closer look.
The advanced warplanes, which cost around $2 billion each, can evade radar detection and drop tens of thousands of pounds of nuclear or conventional weapons. They were most recently deployed in Operation Midnight Hammer in June, dropping 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iran's nuclear facilities. All 19 of the US Air Force's operational B-2 planes are housed at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, where access is strictly limited. However, there is one place in the world where a B-2 is on permanent public display: the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. I visited the museum in August to see the one-of-a-kind exhibit. Take a look. The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit entered development during the Cold War, and the first plane became operational in 1993. B-2s were used in Operation Allied Force in Serbia in 1999, as well as in Afghanistan and Iraq during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom in the early advanced stealth technologies that make it extremely difficult to detect by radar, a capacity to deploy nuclear and conventional weapons, and an ability to refuel midair for flight times that can exceed 30 hours, the B-2 is one of the most powerful warplanes in the world, and it has a very long reach. No other country operates anything comparable to the combat power and capability of the B-2 bomber. Technicians conducted over 1,000 hours of temperature testing at McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and found that the B-2 could withstand temperatures ranging from -65 degrees to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. To commemorate their work, the technicians painted a decorative "Fire & Ice" decal on the nose landing gear panel and signed their art was popular during World War II, when pilots and crew members would often personalize their planes with cartoons, pinups, or tallies of their missions. It's not as common on bombers in active service today. Air Combat Command prepares and equips Air Force teams to provide fighter power, intelligence, cyber operations, and support for combat missions around the shield-shaped emblem shows a downward-facing sword with wings spread on either side. The "509th" and "Follow us" reference the origins of the modern 509th Bomb Wing, which operates B-2 World War II, the historic 509th Composite Group was responsible for deploying nuclear weapons. The B-29 Superfortress bombers that dropped the first atomic bombs on Japan were part of this motto was "Follow Us, Follow Us, as we usher in the Nuclear Age," according to the US Air Force's official 509th was instrumental in the formation of Strategic Air Command and continues to support US nuclear deterrence. I found the B-2 to be one of the most memorable exhibits at the museum. The National Museum of the US Air Force features around 350 planes and missiles over 19 acres of exhibit space — among which were an Air Force One used by eight US presidents, Titan and Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles, and the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki — but seeing one of the world's most advanced warplanes up close was a memorable experience.
