Pacific Air Forces Exhausts M117 Inventory

A B-52H bomber dropped the last M117 general-purpose bomb in Pacific Air Forces’ inventory during a training mission from Andersen AFB, Guam, announced base officials. The bomber, deployed to Guam from Barksdale AFB, La., as part of the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, released the 750-pound munition on an uninhabited island off the coast of Guam on June 26, states Andersen’s release. B-52s, some of them operating from Guam, employed M117s extensively during the Vietnam War. Bomber crews used Andersen’s remaining stockpile in live weapons training after B-52s began rotating there regularly in 2004. “Being able to be part of the crew that gets to drop the last weapon out here is not only great training, but it’s a part of a cool legacy that we get to share,” said 1st Lt. Bryant Curdy, 20th EBS weapons system officer. (See also End of an Era.)