28th Bomb Wing
military unit
The 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Eighth Air Force (8 AF) of the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) and is stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. The wing is also the "host unit" at Ellsworth AFB.
The wing is one of only two Rockwell B-1B Lancer strategic bomber wings in the United States Air Force, the other being the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.
Active for over 60 years, the 28th was a component wing of Strategic Air Command's deterrent force throughout the Cold War.
The 28th Bomb Wing has been commanded by Colonel Erick D. Lord since 25 July 2026. The previous commanders have been Col Gentry Boswell from 2015 to 2017, Col John Edwards from 2017 to 2019, Col David Doss from 2019 to 2021, and Col Joseph Sheffield from 2021 to 2023; its Command Chief Master Sergeant is CMSgt Adam Vizi.
Units
28th Operations Group
28th Operations Support Squadron
34th Bomb Squadron
37th Bomb Squadron
28th Mission Support Group
28th Civil Engineering Squadron
28th Communications Squadron
28th Contracting Squadron
28th Logistics Readiness Squadron
28th Force Support Squadron
28th Security Forces Squadron
28th Maintenance Group
28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
28th Maintenance Squadron
28th Munitions Squadron
28th Maintenance Operations Squadron
28th Medical Group
28th Medical Operations Squadron
28th Medical Support Squadron
Background of name
The motto "Guardian of the North" hails from the 28th Operations Group's World War II service in Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and the Kuril Islands. The 28th Bomb Wing carries on the traditions of the 28th Operations Group.
Myth: The motto "Guardian of the North" is not related in any way to the wing's Cold War service with Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers. Although this motto seems to dovetail nicely with the idea of guarding the north (whether spearheading an attack over the North Pole, or defending against one) from the Soviets, this is definitely not the case.
History
For related history and lineage, see 28th Operations Group
The 28th Bomb Wing, under various designations, has been assigned to Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota for over 60 years.
“28th Bomb Wing” enters the record as military unit. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what 28th, Bomb and Wing can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2815693. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2026, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
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