Gallery Index Back Competitions Before “Curtain Raiser” in 1967 for ICBMs, those working with air-launched missiles had already been competing in competitions since as early as 1955. Those earlier events, with names such as Weapons Meet, Rocket Meet, and Weapons Loading Competition, were every bit as demanding as those in later years that most missileers are more familiar with. Because of the diversity of ballistic missile systems during the early 1960s, it was not feasible for SAC to conduct a force-wide competition, but after the last of the Atlas-D, Atlas-E, Atlas-F, and Titan I systems were retired in 1965, the ball started rolling on a competition for personnel operating and maintaining the remaining ICBMs: Titan II and Minuteman. The inaugural event in 1967, fittingly, was called “Curtain Raiser.” There was no competition in 1968 because of the demand placed on SAC by the Vietnam War, but the comp resumed in 1969 with the name “Olympic Arena”--a name that was changed, briefly, a couple of times over the next 24 years but always came back, even outliving SAC by a year! In 1994, under Air Force Space Command, the annual competition was called Guardian Challenge. By the mid-2000s, it was no longer an annual event, and then in 2009, AFSPC handed off the ICBMs to the newly created Air Force Global Strike Command, which created an entirely new competition called Global Strike Challenge. Like its predecessor, it too is not an annual event, primarily for fiscal reasons, but it is still one that most “Strikers” look forward to with great anticipation. Order by Default Title Date Filename Size Random Search within this gallery group 1955 USAF Worldwide Fighter Gunnery and Weapons Meet - Phase II 1958 Air Defense Command Rocket Meet 1958 William Tell competition - Western Air Defense Force 1959 Air Defense Command Rocket Meet 19XX Weapons Loading Competition - RCAF No. 416 Squadron & Det. 4, 425th Munitions Support Squadron 1967 Strategic Air Command Missile Combat Competition (Curtain Raiser) 1967 Curtain Raiser, 351st Strategic Missile Wing - 351 SRAT MSL WG (Style A) 1967 Curtain Raiser, 351st Strategic Missile Wing - WHITEMAN AFB, MO. (Style A) 1967 Curtain Raiser - 390th Strategic Missile Wing Instructor 1969 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1969 SAC Missile Competition - Winner 1970 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1971 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1971 SAC Missile Combat Competition - First Place 1972 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1972 SAC Missile Combat Competition - First Place 1972 SAC Missile Combat Competition, 351 st Strategic Missile Wing - 351 STRAT MSL WG (Style B) 1972 SAC Missile Combat Competition, 351st Strategic Missile Wing - WHITEMAN AFB, MO. (Style B) 1972 SAC Missile Combat Competition, 351st Strategic Missile Wing - OLYMPIC ARENA '72' 1972 SAC Missile Combat Competition, 381st Strategic Missile Wing - McCONNELL 1973 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1973 SAC Missile Combat Competition - First Place 1974 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1974 SAC Missile Combat Competition - First Place 308th Strategic Missile Wing - Sierra Hotel 1975 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1975 SAC Missile Combat Competition - First Place 1976 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1976 SAC Missile Combat Competition - First Place 1976 SAC Missile Combat Competition, 308th Strategic Missile Wing - Olympic Arena 1977 Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1977 SAC Missile Combat Competition - First Place 1978 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1978 SAC Missile Combat Competition First Place 1979 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1979 SAC Missile Combat Competition - First Place 1980 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1980 SAC Missile Combat Competition - First Place 1981 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) with BLANCHARD TROPHY WINNER crown 1982 SAC Missile Combat Competition (SMCC) 1982 SAC Missile Combat Competition - Winner 1983 SAC Missile Combat Competition (SMCC) 1983 SAC Missile Competition - Winner 1983 SAC Missile Combat Competition - Eighth Air Force 1984 SAC Missile Combat Competition (SMCC) 1984 SAC Missile Competition - Winner 1984 SAC Missile Combat Competition - Eighth Air Force 1985 SAC Missile Combat Competition (SMCC) 1985 SAC Missile Competition - Winner 1985 Year of the Hog, 308th Strategic Missile Wing 1986 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1986 SAC Missile Combat Competition - Winner 1986 SAC Missile Combat Competition - Eighth Air Force 1987 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Shield) (Style A) 1987 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Shield) (Style B) 1987 SAC Missile Combat Competition - Blanchard Winner 1987 SAC Missile Combat Competition - Eighth Air Force 1987 SAC Missile Combat Competition, 91st Strategic Missile Wing - Olympic Shield 1988 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) (Type I) 1988 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Type II) 1988 SAC Missile Combat Competition - Blanchard Winner 1988 SAC Missile Combat Competition, Eighth Air Force - Olympic Arena (Style A) with 1988 & 1989 rockers 1988 SAC Missile Combat Competition, Eighth Air Force - Olympic Arena (Style B) with 1991 rocker 1988 SAC Missile Combat Competition, 91st Strategic Missile Wing - Olympic Arena 1989 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1989 SAC Missile Combat Competition - Blanchard Winner 1989 SAC Missile Combat Competition - Blanchard Winner 67-71-77-81-89 - 351 SMW 1989 SAC Missile Combat Competition - Olympic Arena - 91st Strategic Missile Wing 1990-SAC-Missile-Combat-Competition-Olympic-Arena-with-COMPETITOR-crown 1990 SAC Missile Combat Competition - Blanchard Winner 1990 SAC Missile Combat Competition, Fifteenth Air Force - Olympic Arena 1990 SAC Missile Combat Competition, 91 SMW (Style A) 1990 SAC Missile Combat Competition, 91 SMW (Style B) 1991 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) with COMPETITOR rocker 1991 SAC Missile Combat Competition - Blanchard Winner 1991 SAC Missile Combat Competition, Fifteenth Air Force - Olympic Arena 1991 SAC Missile Combat Competition, 90th Strategic Missile Wing 1991 SAC Missile Combat Competition, 91st Strategic Missile Wing 1991 SAC Missile Combat Competition, 341st Strategic Missile Wing - Team Malmstrom (Style A) 1991 SAC Missile Combat Crew Competition, 341st Strategic Missile Wing - Team Malmstrom (Style B) 1992 SAC Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) Silver Anniversary, with COMPETITOR rocker 1992 SAC Missile Combat Competition - Blanchard Winner 1992 SAC Missile Combat Competition, 90th Missile Wing - Olympic Arena - The Mighty Ninety 1992 SAC Missile Combat Competition, 91st Missile Wing - 25 Years 1993 Air Combat Command Missile Combat Competition (Olympic Arena) 1993 Air Combat Command Missile Combat Competition - Blanchard Winner 1993 Air Combat Command Missile Combat Competition - First and Last in ACC 1993 Air Combat Command Missile Combat Competition, Twentieth Air Force - Olympic Arena 1993 Air Combat Command Missile Combat Competition, 91st Missile Wing - Olympic Arena 1993 Air Combat Command Missile Combat Competition - ICBM Maintenance 1994 Guardian Challenge - The Tradition Begins, with COMPETITION WINNER (Style A) rocker 1994 Guardian Challenge - First Annual 1994 Guardian Challenge - Let the Big Dog Eat (HQ AFSPC/LG) 1994 Guardian Challenge - 30th Space Wing 1994 Guardian Challenge - 90th Missile Wing Wranglers 1994 Guardian Challenge - 91st Missile Wing Roughriders 1995 Guardian Challenge, with COMPETITION WINNER (Style B) rocker 1995 Guardian Challenge - The Big Dog's Back!!! (HQ AFSPC/LG) 1995 Guardian Challenge - 30th Space Wing 1995 Guardian Challenge - 30th Space Wing Peacekeeper Challenge « ‹ of 3 › »