The Air Force Historical Foundation has recognized two Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber wings among the winners of its 2025-2026 prestigious annual awards, selecting both for their part in Operation Midnight Hammer, the daring raid on Iran’s fortified nuclear weapons sites.
The awards, which honor outstanding Air Force and Space Force units and individuals, will be presented at this year’s AFHF awards banquet scheduled for May 14.
2025 AFHF James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle Award
AFHF’s Doolittle Award recognizes an active Air Force or Space Force unit for accomplishing its mission while displaying gallantry and excellence and while under difficult and hazardous conditions in multiple conflicts. This year’s winner: 509th Bomb Wing out of Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.
2025 AFHF Air National Guard Award for Superior Unit Performance
This inaugural Air National Guard Award is similar to the Doolittle Award in that it recognizes a Guard unit for gallantry and excellence it displays to accomplish its mission under difficult and hazardous conditions in multiple conflicts. This year’s winner: 131st Bomb Wing out of Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.
“The Doolittle is our pinnacle trophy, and it’s all based on finding a unit that excels and is excellent with combat operations, multiple theaters, things that are kind of dangerous,” Dik Daso, executive director of the AFHF, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “We have also decided that we were going to award a trophy similar to the Doolittle trophy to an Air National Guard unit.”
Daso added that both trophies are for “a specific event, and that’s Operation Midnight Hammer. I think almost everybody universally agreed that was probably a good call.”
Seven B-2 Spirit bombers penetrated Iranian airspace to strike three Iranian nuclear facilities during the June 21 operation, which marked one of the most technically impressive displays of airpower in recent memory.
“In a timeline of just weeks, members of the 509th and 131st Bomb Wings turned strategic planning of an unprecedented operation into global execution,” the AFHF awards announcement states. Missouri Air National Guard Airmen flew alongside Active-duty counterparts from the 509th Bomb Wing in a coordinated strike against Iranian nuclear development facilities. Operation Midnight Hammer marked the first time the Air National Guard directly participated in a nuclear-deterrence strike package of this scale, according to the release.
“The success of this mission demonstrates the precision and potency of a combat-ready Air Force and strategic innovation,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in the announcement. “The warfighting capability of the Total Force Airmen here and the B-2 Spirit was tested with the world watching, and Team Whiteman performed flawlessly.”
In addition to the award ceremony, the AFHF will present each unit with their trophy at a separate ceremony at Whiteman, Daso said.
Lifetime Service Award
2025 AFHF General Carl A. “Tooey” Spaatz Award
The General Carl “Tooey” Spaatz Award recognizes an individual’s lifetime contributions to Air Force or Space Force history. This year’s winner is retired Air Force Col. James G. “Snake” Clark, who has been described as one of the most “colorful, innovative, and risk-taking” Airmen in the service’s 70-year history. During his 50 years of service, he forever changed airpower through his support of long-range drones and became known as the “Godfather of the MQ-1 Predator,” the release states. Clark also helped stand up the Warrior Preparation Center, the world’s premier wargaming, modeling, and simulation center.
Lifetime Achievement for Space Award
2025 AFHF General John W. “Jay” Raymond Award
The General John W. “Jay” Raymond Award recognizes an individual who has made significant lifetime contributions the making of Space Force history. This year’s winner is Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala. During his tenure on the House Armed Services Committee, Rogers initiated and oversaw the creation of the U.S. Space Force.
Since he was first elected in 2002, Rogers has been known for his “tireless advocacy for the people,” the release states. Rogers has built a reputation as a recognized leader on national security and a strong advocate for national defense. As HASC chairman, Rogers “works to ensure that our military is properly funded, that our warfighters have the resources and weapons they need to succeed on current and future battlefields, and that the military is focused on deterring and combating threats coming from China and our other adversaries,” the release states.
Meritorious Contribution Award
AFHF President’s Medal For Exceptionally Meritorious Contributions to the Foundation
Rick Herter, Excellence in Artistic Documentation of Aviation History
Herter’s first commemorative airshow poster won a national award in the mid-1980s. Soon after, the artist was commissioned to create work for shows in Pittsburgh, Denver and Cleveland, the announcement states. In 1987, Herter was invited to become a participating artist in the elite Air Force Art Program, an effort created in the 1950s using the talents of select artists to document Air Force activities and history worldwide.
Literary Awards
Best Journal Article
Korey F. “Bounce” Lantes, REFORPAC’s Pacific Playbook: Survive, Surge, Sustain and Synchronize to Win
Maj. Korey F. Lantes is an experienced Air Force officer with 12 years of service as an air battle manager. Lantes is a master Air Education and Training Command instructor and has served as an instructor and evaluator for air battle management on E-8C JSTARS. He has multiple deployments to the Central Command and Pacific Command theaters and is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in military history through the Air Force Advanced Academic Degree program at Kansas State University.
Airpower History Book Prize
John Andreas Olsen, “Airpower Pioneers: From Billy Mitchell to Dave Deptula (History of Military Aviation)”. Olsen is a colonel in the Royal Norwegian Air Force currently assigned to NATO headquarters. He is a professor at the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies, a non-resident senior fellow of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, and a fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences. Olsen has published a series of books on airpower strategy and defense policy, lectured worldwide, and received several awards for his writings. Purchase on Amazon.
Space History Book Prize
David Arnold, “Space Force Pioneers, Trailblazers of the Sixth Branch.” Arnold is a prominent figure in the field of space leadership and strategy. His work is a “valuable resource for understanding the evolution of the United States Space Force and the leadership styles of its pioneers,” the release states. Purchase on Amazon.
