1980: Through 14 March, Crews S-21 AND S-31, 644th BombSquadron, SAC, flew nonstop, 19,353 nautical miles around the world in 42 hours 30 minutes, averaging 488 MPH. Majors William H. Thurston and John M. Durham commanded the flight from Offutt AFB, across Canada, the North Atlantic, Europe, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, the Strait of Malacca, the South China Sea, and back to Offutt. For executing a nonstop, around-the world mission with the immediate objective of locating and photographing elements of the soviet navy operating in the Arabian Gulf, they earned the trophy for the flight.
