BREAKING NEWS!
95th Wing (Provisional) activates at Offutt AFB
Published Nov. 1, 2024
8th Air Force and Joint-Global Strike Operations Center Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- From left, Maj. Gen. Jason R. Armagost, 8th Air Force and Joint-Global Strike Operations Center commander; Chief Master Sgt. Ronnie Woods, 8th AF and J-GSOC command chief; Col. David Leaumont, 95th Wing (Provisional) commander; Chief Master Sgt. Michael Moore, 95th Wg (P) senior enlisted leader and Col. Walter Goss, 95th Wg (P) deputy commander, pose with a Square B tail designator on the wing of an E-4B as part of the provisional stand-up of the 95th Wg at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., Nov. 1, 2024. The Square B tail designator pays homage to the lineage of the 95th Wg (P) when the 95th Bomb Group flew during World War II with it. In provisional status, the 95th Wg (P) will immediately begin leading planning efforts for the 95th Wg to activate, receive personnel and use facilities at Offutt AFB starting in 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Chad Watkins)
NOTE: Col. Dave Leaumont has been working on this for quite some time, and yesterday (11/1/2024) he posted this on the 95th BG Memorials Foundation Facebook page: “We had a small, informal ceremony today with the 8 AF Commander to commemorate the 95 Wing Provisional that stood up on 1 October. We cannot use the 95th Wing patch for the Provisional (temporary) Wing, so we chose the Square B as the Provisional Wing patch. We are working to get the original patch approved (albeit with a yellow Justinian Cross) for the actual 95th Wing. And, we are working paperwork to get the Square B affixed to all of our tails. It's progressing!”
The 95th Bomb Group Memorials Foundation is an IRS approved 501(c)3 organization whose purpose is to educate the public regarding the history of the 95th Bomb Group (H) and its role in the air campaign over central Europe during World War II.
To accomplish this purpose the Foundation develops and maintains exhibits, promotes the study and recognition of the emotional involvement of the aircrews and their related attached units, provides for appropriate recognition of all members of the 95th Bomb Group who gave up their lives, and serves as a philanthropic corporation.
The 95th Bomb Group Memorials Foundation is also charged with the preservation of memorials created by the veterans of the 95th Bomb Group Association, our predecessor organization. These include, but are not limited to memorials located at the following:
The United States Air Force Academy
Colorado Springs, CO
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Memorial Garden
Dayton, OH
National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force
Savannah, GA
The Ring of Eight and B-17 Tail
Horham, UK
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, VA
How it all began…
After World II ended, the 95th airbase at Horham, England was closed and returned to farmland, and the veterans returned to the states. Years later, they began to re-connect with each other at the Mighty Eighth Air Force reunions. It was at one of these reunions in 1977 that a group of 95th veterans decided to have reunions of their own, for the sole purpose of reuniting those who served in the 95th Bomb Group.
This idea led them to create the 95th Bomb Group (H) Association, which consisted only of veterans who had served in the 95th Bomb Group. Starting in 1981, the Association met regularly and created several memorials to honor 95th veterans who were lost in the war.
The veterans realized that in order for their legacy to continue, the next generation needed to become involved. In 1995, the 95th Bomb Group Memorials Foundation, Inc. was formed, a 501(c)(3) non-profit Arizona corporation. In 2004, the 95th Bomb Group Association disbanded and veterans and legacy members consolidated under the umbrella of the 95th Bomb Group Memorials Foundation, Inc.