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Yojimbo suggested I post these over here.

Sadly on March 15th the 706th FS/926th FW finished operations at New Orleans NAS. The unit was slated to be disbanded anyway under the latest BRAC recommendations but the timing was brought forward following Hurricane Katrina last year. Eight jets and some of the pilots and maintainers have relocated to the enlarged 47th FS at Barksdale, the rest of the Hogs will go to Whiteman's AFRC unit.

The 47th FS has had a long and eventful existence including involvment in Desert Storm. I'm sure you'll all agree, the Fighting Cajuns will be sorely missed in the A-10 community.

I was fortunate to be able to spend some time with the Cajuns last year, here are a few shots to mark the passing of a fine unit.

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I,m sure many of the guys on this site know the feeling of being a part of a deactivating unit...... The Cajuns will be missed in Louisiana. They will join the Flying Tigers on the list of missed warthog units in Louisiana.........<img src=newicons/smiley_salute.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_dissapprove.gif border=0 align=middle>

I worked with the coonasses myself during DS1. Great unit, sorry to see them go.

Fender

"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it."
George Bernard Shaw

They will be missed down on the bayou. As kids we all loved to see them fly. There was a great picture of them flying to the GW I over the super dome during superbowl I believe.

This leaves the Barksdale squadron as the last A-10 in Louisiana. <img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/smiley_salute.gif border=0 align=middle>

Another peice of A-10 history in the "Books". <img src=newicons/smiley_salute.gif border=0 align=middle>

Ugly But Well Hung

Nice pictures, sad news for the Hawg community. <img src=newicons/smiley_salute.gif border=0 align=middle> No NO on the tail anymore. <img src=newicons/smiley_salute.gif border=0 align=middle>

If I had it good, some units grow bigger after the closing of New Orleans NAS?

Can somebody tell me what the latest update list of units/squadron/wings/airbases is? Or where I can find that list?



Salute Dutchy
------------------------
Termites do it in the dark!
(47FS Barksdale afb)

_________________
73-1664

Great pix, gunsmoke, thanks.

The Second Amendment: America's original homeland security.
Ya just can’t take life too seriously, because you aren’t going to get out of it alive anyway.

_________________
\"Those who hammer their guns into plows
will plow for those who do not.\"
- Thomas Jefferson

I agree with Fender, the "Coonasses" or the "Crawldady's" of the big
"Easy" were a great bunch of Folks and will be missed.


Just brought back some memories or some great Jets, 2653, I was ACC on for 3 months before I got 0166, 2653 was part of the Gunsmoke teams always and Demo one year.
79-9197 now If I'm not mistaken was one of the Hog's that came back to life after the Gulfwar, after landing at KKMC shot to Hell.
it spent most of the first few weeks on broke row being CANX'ed, awaiting Parts, then after the MB had those first ABDR Birds come in they put her back together and became a real "Tank" killer.

Those are real "Cajun Birds" from England AFB to NO and now to Barksdale AFB, whoever ends up with those Birds will get some good Jets.

And good Folks, I just hate too see those guys go.

Goose

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin,
(1706 - 1790)

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

Damn our numbers are starting to dwindle slowly. We were all just talking a bit ago about how much its going to suck going air to air.

"By this time tomorrow I shall have gained either a peerage or Westminster Abbey !" Nelson the Immortal Memory

_________________
YGBSM !

The Coonasses are the Coonass Militia...the Louisiana Air National Guard and they fly F-15s. The Cajuns are the Air Force Reserve and fly Hogs.

Coach

I'd like to be a future member of the Coonass Militia.

"By this time tomorrow I shall have gained either a peerage or Westminster Abbey !" Nelson the Immortal Memory

_________________
YGBSM !

The 434th Special Operation Wing at Grissom AFB, Indiana was organized in 1971 and was made up of the 930th & 931st SOGs, the 910th SOG out of Youngstown, Ohio and the 917th SOG at Barksdale, flying the A-37 Dragonfly.
In 1980 the Wing was reorganized as the 434th TFW with the 930th FG/45th FS and the 917th FG/46th FS & 47th FS at Barksdale. Both converted to A-10s.
The 930th's A-10s proudly flew with an Outstanding Unit Award on it's side and never received less than an Excellent from it's ORI's.
In 1990 new facilities including new ramp space were constructed with anticpation of converting to F-16's.
Many Generals within the top leadership in AFRC came by way of our Unit. Generals Foster, Nester, Sibley, Werth, Macintosh, Stenner and Bradley, all were part of the 434th TFW, 930th or 917th at one time in their career.
When Desert Storm kicked off it was politics that sent the 926th to War. The 917th provided some of the aircraft the 926th took and the 930th provided some of the qualified load crews they needed.
After DS it was announced that the 930th would be closing and the 926th would be getting F-16's. Again it was politics.
Call it sour grapes but I can't say I'm sad to see them go.
db


Being responsible means sometimes pissing people off.
Gen Colin Powell ret

DB, you need to let it go...that's a long time to hold a grudge.

Coach

Goose, I think the EL tail that was shot up and flew again was 80-0186 flown by Col Dave Sawyer, IIRC 197 was a FY77 Hog, an NF tail that was written off at the end of GW1......could be mistaken.

Here you go guys, Gulf War battle damage....

http://www.pats-world.com/gulfwar/abdr-home.htm

Ugly But Well Hung

I remember 80-0186 did fly again (worked on it), 79-9181 crashed, NO was the bird who gave up a STAB, (EL-NO or NO-EL) I dont know why I think 197 was brought back in a C-5?????

That Hog Dice, in the Photo above 4 ship I thought was 79-9197, that was our Bird, I couldnt make out if it was a 77 or 79.
It was "Big Willies the Hawaii -5"O"'s JET.
if you say its a 77 model, I believe you, your still "BOSSHAWG" in my book Bro!

Goose

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin,
(1706 - 1790)

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

That Hog Dice, in the Photo above 4 ship I thought was 79-9197, that was our Bird, I couldnt make out if it was a 77 or 79.
It was "Big Willies the Hawaii -5"O"'s JET.
<b>if you say its a 77 model, I believe you, your still "BOSSHAWG" in my book Bro!</b>

Goose

<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

Goose, first thanks for the Bosshawg comment. <img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle> Second, I didn't say (I don't believe) that the aircraft in the above photo was 77-9197, in fact there are no 75/76/77 A-10s still flying in the active fleet unless you count the wings which have been swapped in the SLEP1 program.

The aircraft above is 79-9197 and was assigned to England AFB LA during the Gulf War so your memories are correct. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Ugly But Well Hung

Not To Hijack or anything........

but according to that site, they buried 1 A-10, #197. besides its been salvaged for good items, whats to stop anyone from digging it out and have a nice collectors item?

remember those old B-29s and Lightnings 200 feet down under ice in Greenland?

_________________

First NO birds arrive at Whiteman.....

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123017952

Ugly But Well Hung

That would be 77-197 and there was really nothing left to dig up.

my brother was air national guard and my understanding is they had to give up the coonass militia name due to some people taking as a racial slur. but if you have been to lousiana many people proudly call themselve coonasses.

I have never cared for the name but I was not born here either.

Carl,

Ok I figured out the Deal,

We had a 79-9197 and the 23RD TASS had a 77-197 so here's we can get CONFUSED!!!!
How many A-10's did you guys bury up at KKMC Carl?
I know 79-9181 was one .
But I thought that the Cajuns ended-up with a few of our birds, 0166 went to Barksdale before Billy getting her.

I just looked-up the TAIL NUMBERS in Pete Smiths book.
So I guess its Drinks all around!!!

Goose



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin,
(1706 - 1790)

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

It was 77-197 that went down with Pat Olson, the web-link has it as the FY79 just to add to the confusion!

Well that Mystery is solved.

Goose

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin,
(1706 - 1790)

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>When Desert Storm kicked off it was politics that sent the 926th to War. <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

What 'politics' was that?

I was the 926 Active Duty Advisor from 86 to 88. I always wondered why the unit was selected.