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7th BW receives Global Strike Challenge awards

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. David Owsianka
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

The 7th Bomb Wing held a ceremony to recognize base personnel for their accomplishments as the wing received the best bomb Fairchild Trophy, the Ellis Giant Sword Trophy, the Barksdale Trophy and the 28th Bomb Squadron received the Mitchell Trophy and Eaker Trophy at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, Dec. 16, 2021, during the Global Strike Challenge.

The Global Strike Challenge is the world’s premier bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile operations and maintenance, helicopter operations and security forces competition with units from Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Combat Command, Air Force Reserves Command and the Air National Guard participating.

“During the competition, I saw maintainers and aviators come together as a team for victory, said Col. Joseph Kramer, 7th BW commander. “This is a huge recognition for what you’ve accomplished during the competition, but make no mistake, this is a message to our adversaries about what you can do. Our partners in the community enabled that by continuing to advocate for improvements on childcare, education, medical, housing and other concerns we have.”

The theme of this year’s Global Strike Challenge event was: Strikers are One… Resilient, Credible and Lethal Team.

“Because Strikers are a team of teams, we’re all dependent on one another to succeed,” said Gen. Anthony Cotton, AFGSC commander. “This teamwork is critically important because, as we all know, the world has changed and we are now in an era of strategic competition.”

The Fairchild Trophy is named after Gen. Muir S. Fairchild, former USAF Vice Chief of Staff, and is awarded to the best bomber wing in the combined fields of navigation and bombing.

The Ellis Giant Sword Trophy is for best bomber maintenance.

The Barksdale Trophy goes to the best and most supportive community in all of Air Force Global Strike Command. This is the second time in four years that the 7th BW and city of Abilene has received this award.

The Mitchell Trophy is awarded to the squadron who has the best bomb operations; and the Eaker Trophy is for the best B-1 squadron.

“It was an absolute honor being able to compete and learn as I worked alongside my fellow Airmen during the challenge,” said Airman Hector Olazaran, 7th Munitions Squadron conventional maintenance crew member. “Through participating in this competition, it shows that we are prepared for anything that comes our way. Receiving multiple team awards over individual awards shows that we are greater as a whole than individually.”

The vision of the Global Strike Challenge is to emphasize resilient, credible and lethal Airmen who dominate the battlespace while utilizing modern tools, modern technologies and modern tactics.

“Near the end of the competition the scores were revealed and it showed that we didn’t win any individual awards, but the culmination of everybody’s efforts as a team made us sweep the team categories that we were eligible for,” said Chief Master Sgt. Matthew Coltrin, 7th BW command chief. “We won five out of the eight categories we compete for. I am proud of all of our Airmen who are collectively the best team every day of the week.”