Active for over 60 years, the 2 BW was a component wing of Strategic Air Command (SAC)'s heavy bomber deterrent force throughout the Cold War.

The 2d Bombardment Wing was activated by the United States Air Force on 5 November 1947, though it initially had no headquarters or home station of its own.

A debate over where to station the new wing ended with the selection of Chatham Air Force Base, Georgia, a World War II training airfield.

Located about 10 miles northwest of Savannah, Georgia, Chatham had an adequate airfield for B-29 operations, but the base's cantonment area was in extremely poor condition.

Hunter Field was built in 1929 as Savannah Municipal Airport and in 1940 the Air Corps received approval to build a permanent base at the site.

On 29 September 1950, the 2d Bomb Wing moved to the reopened Hunter Air Force Base and Chatham was turned over to the City of Savannah, where it was redeveloped into a regional airport.

A 1958 Tybee Island B-47 crash in which a Mark 15 hydrogen bomb was lost in the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of Savannah was another reason in the decision by SAC to move the Wing to a non-urban area.

The 2d Bombardment Wing would be moved, and Hunter AFB was reassigned to Military Air Transport Service (MATS).

4238th Strategic Wing B-52 operations at Barksdale can be traced to 1 March 1958 when SAC established the 4238th SW.[4] and assigned it to the 4th Air Division[5] as part of SAC's plan to disperse its Boeing B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.

[8] Starting in 1960, one third of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike.

2d Bombardment Wing, Heavy In 1962, in order to perpetuate the lineage of bombardment units with illustrious World War II records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its Major Command controlled (MAJCON) strategic wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and replace them with Air Force controlled (AFCON) units, which could carry a lineage and history.

[10] Rather than inactivate the 2d Bombardment Wing when Hunter closed, SAC moved it to replace the 4238th SW.[11] and assume its mission, personnel, and equipment.

After the return of combat resources, the wing continued supporting SAC operations in Southeast Asia into 1975, on a reduced scale.

Provided air refueling for rescue efforts in Grenada, October–November 1983, the attack on Libya, April 1986, and the invasion of Panama, December 1989 – January 1990.

The 2d Bomb Wing took part in Operation Southern Watch, Desert Fox and Allied Force throughout the late 1990s.

21 March 2013 saw the first successful live run with a Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod marking the start of fleetwide integration for the B-52H.

The U.S. Pacific Command's (PACOM) Continuous Bomber Presence (CBP) mission is supported with regular deployments to Andersen AFB, Guam by the 2d Bomb Wing.

On Tuesday 14 May 2019 "Wise Guy" took to the skies once again with Col. Robert Burgess, CO of the 307th Operations Group, 307th Bomb Wing, flew the bomber back to Barksdale AFB.

In addition to the following awards, the wing is entitled to display the two Distinguished Unit Citations earned by the 2d Operations Group during World War II In addition to the following awards, the wing is entitled to display the 16 campaign streamers earned by the 2d Operations Group during World War I and World War II Blazon: Or, in fess four aerial bombs descending bendwise sinister Azure garnished Argent on a chief engrailed Vert a fleur-de-lis White between two pallets Sable, all within a diminished bordure of the first.

The bombs signify original squadrons, the stripes represent major World War I offensives, and the white fleur de lis symbolizes the French location of the battles.