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188th Warthogs fly in international gunnery competition

  • Published
  • By Tech Sgt. John Orrell
  • National Guard Bureau
BOISE, Idaho --  Over the skies of Iraq and Afghanistan, the A-10C Thunderbolt II, affectionately known as the "Warthog," is a valuable asset to the warfighter.

It provides a "much-needed mission to those on the ground," said the Air Force Col. James R. Compton, the commander of the Idaho Air National Guard's 124th Fighter Wing. "If you talk to any Soldier ... and you ask them what they want, they will undoubtedly say, 'We want A-10s overhead.'"

The 188th Fighter Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard, based in Fort Smith, is among the units competing.

Here at Gowen Air National Guard Base that close air support mission is on display Oct. 14-16 during the 2010 Hawgsmoke competition, which is being hosted by the wing's 190th Fighter Squadron.

"It's a great honor to host this competition," Compton said. "These are some of the finest warriors in the A-10 business."

Hawgsmoke, a biennial A-10 bombing, missile and tactical gunnery competition, brings the U.S. Air Force's top A-10 pilots from around the world together, as they attempt to become the best of the best, said Air Force Lt. Col. Ryan Odneal, the squadron commander and flight leader for this year's Idaho team.

The competition is a chance for active duty, Guard and reserve A-10 air crews and maintenance personnel to get together and share their experiences, Compton said.

"If you don't put them all together at one time in a venue like this, then you don't get any validation that [the combination] works," he said. "We are a very diverse organization and to put it all together here, we come to find out that we're not as different as we thought. It validates that we are all one team heading for one common goal."

Competition is also good for them, Compton said, because it builds camaraderie throughout the A-10 community.

"[Camaraderie] is very important to this type of a competition," said Compton. "[It] is really the glue that keeps us together."

Keeping the planes running during the competition are the maintenance crews from the various competing wings.

"Much like the pilots, they are going to share [maintaining] different airplanes," he said. "That validates that we have one standard for the way we generate airplanes, and we get to watch them ... all working together as a team."

188th Warthogs fly in international gunnery competition

  • Published
  • By Tech Sgt. John Orrell
  • National Guard Bureau
BOISE, Idaho --  Over the skies of Iraq and Afghanistan, the A-10C Thunderbolt II, affectionately known as the "Warthog," is a valuable asset to the warfighter.

It provides a "much-needed mission to those on the ground," said the Air Force Col. James R. Compton, the commander of the Idaho Air National Guard's 124th Fighter Wing. "If you talk to any Soldier ... and you ask them what they want, they will undoubtedly say, 'We want A-10s overhead.'"

The 188th Fighter Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard, based in Fort Smith, is among the units competing.

Here at Gowen Air National Guard Base that close air support mission is on display Oct. 14-16 during the 2010 Hawgsmoke competition, which is being hosted by the wing's 190th Fighter Squadron.

"It's a great honor to host this competition," Compton said. "These are some of the finest warriors in the A-10 business."

Hawgsmoke, a biennial A-10 bombing, missile and tactical gunnery competition, brings the U.S. Air Force's top A-10 pilots from around the world together, as they attempt to become the best of the best, said Air Force Lt. Col. Ryan Odneal, the squadron commander and flight leader for this year's Idaho team.

The competition is a chance for active duty, Guard and reserve A-10 air crews and maintenance personnel to get together and share their experiences, Compton said.

"If you don't put them all together at one time in a venue like this, then you don't get any validation that [the combination] works," he said. "We are a very diverse organization and to put it all together here, we come to find out that we're not as different as we thought. It validates that we are all one team heading for one common goal."

Competition is also good for them, Compton said, because it builds camaraderie throughout the A-10 community.

"[Camaraderie] is very important to this type of a competition," said Compton. "[It] is really the glue that keeps us together."

Keeping the planes running during the competition are the maintenance crews from the various competing wings.

"Much like the pilots, they are going to share [maintaining] different airplanes," he said. "That validates that we have one standard for the way we generate airplanes, and we get to watch them ... all working together as a team."