More than 70 "Hawgs" returned to Alexandria in central Louisiana to take part in Hawgsmoke 2004, a biannual bombing and gunnery competition reserved and organized for the A-10 community. Squadrons from across the country and far away as Germany and South Korea sent a team to fly and compete for the honor of being "Best of the Best" in ground attack and target destruction. The 2004 edition was hosted by the 47th Fighter Squadron from Barksdale AFB, LA, the previous winner in 2002, and held at England Airpark between April 29 and May 2, 2004. "Hawgsmoke is an intense flying competition and an opportunity to share the camaraderie and legacy of the world's premier Close Air Support fighter," said Lt Col. Jim Macauley, 47th Fighter Squadron director of operations and Hawgsmoke project officer. "England Airpark and Alexandria share a special kinship with America's military and the A-10 Thunderbolt II. Hawgsmoke 2004 honored the history of the A-10 in Alexandria and the phenomenal people that flew, fixed and supported them in Rapides Parish," added Lt Col. Macauley. The first Warthogs arrived at England AFB in 1980 and were flown by the 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing until the base closed in 1992. "It's an outstanding opportunity to showcase our people and the Air Force Reserve by being at the forefront of Hawgsmoke," said Lt Col. Greg Eckfeld, 47th FS commander. A Memorial service and Missing Man A-10 Fly-By was held at England Heritage Park after all competitors had arrived in Alexandria.

Hawgsmoke 2004 was designed to test four basic tenets of A-10 skill; Target acquisition, Weapons delivery, Flight leadership and Mutual support/Teamwork. These tests were applied in scenarios that encompassed normal CMR training objectives, and that are relevant to recent operational tasking. Maximum consideration in the design of this competition had been given to ensure no team had an unfair advantage over another. The competiiton was divided into three main categories; a dry CAS scenario simulating CBU-87, a conventional bombing and strafing competition, and dry High Value Asset target employing Maverick.

18 teams representing the A-10 community worldwide flew to Louisiana to take part in the competition. "We wanted everyone to participate. All they had to send was four jets and four pilots," said Lt Col. Macauley. Only one unit was unable to attend due to real-world deployment, the 355th FS from Eielson AFB, Alaska. Teams from the 25th FS at Osan AFB, Korea, and the 81st FS at Spangdalhem AFB, Germany borrowed jets from the 47th FS to participate. Unable to fly their own A-10 to the competition, Nellis team and the 354th FS flew other unit's aircraft. Participating for the first time was the Air Ground Operations School (AGOS) represented by members of the 548th and 549th Combat Training Squadron (CTS).

Being the host unit meant providing all maintenance and support for the competitors. Led by CMSgt Bob Murray, 180 members of the 917th Wing did a phenomenal job setting up the logistics and fixing 17 broken airplanes. "Words can't express my gratitude and admiration for the professional job they did planning an executing their plan. It's just a shame they were not able to demonstrate to the world how one squadron of supremely competent individuals can preflight, load, launch, recover, fix and turn 72 sorties in a day. I have no doubt they would have been successful," said Lt Col. Macauley. In addition to the 917th's personnel, crews from New Orleans, Whiteman and Pope AFB were involved in the competition.

What promised to be a showcase for the A-10 and its pilots, more commonly called 'Hawg Drivers', got pretty wet and the flying competition was finally canceled. "We had weather contingencies for the competition, all the way down to the minimums allowed for peacetime training of 1500 feet ceiling and 3 miles of visibility. Unfortunately, the 'Perfect Storm' that engulfed Alexandria on April 30 and May 1, did not even allow for the 'Flat Show'," said Lt Col. Macauley. "The flying competition was designed by Maj. Brady Glick and Maj. Thor Olson, both veterans of the two previous competitions. It placed a premium on skill and efficiency in target destruction, while testing basic tenants of airmanship and flight leadership. It's unfortunate that all the teams did not get to test themselves against the tactical problems we presented, because the five teams that did, unanimously thought they were realistic, yet very challenging," said Lt Col. Macauley. "We have the finest Air Force in the world precisely because we train and test to the most difficult standard," added Lt Col. Macauley. The flying competition was set to take place over the Claiborne Bombing Range in Woodworth. LA.

"Hawgwash 2004" was a success despite the bad weather exactly because of the people we have flying, fixing and supporting the A-10. If the consumable were any indication, a very large time was had by all. The support of England Airpark and the Alexandria community made a huge contribution to the success of this gathering," said Lt Col Macauley.

"We had all been looking forward to the event for some time and I must say I still consider it a success. The guys at Barksdale did a tremendous job of preparing for and hosting the event. The 47th is a real top notch operation and they have definitely set the bar awfully high for host of Hawgsmoke 2006," said Captain David Faulkner of the 706th Fighter Squadron from New Orleans, LA. "It was truly disappointing not to be able to compete for bragging rights for the next two years due to that lovely weather we got! Despite the weather, fighter pilots never leave their competitive spirits at home and the arrival contest and crud tournament were proof of that," added Captain Faulkner. The 706th Fighter Squadron won the only flying event during that weekend. The Cajuns took home the award for best arrival. "Winning the only flying event was nice considering the weather situation. Our flight lead did most of the work there. All we had to do was to follow him as close as we could," said Captain Faulkner. The Cajuns also took the Gucci award, better known as the "It is better to look good, than to be good" award. "We put a lot of thought into bringing the Mardi Gras spirit from New Orleans with us. I have no doubt that winning the Gucci had everything to do with the Cajun Mardi Gras "Hawg Beads". The beads were the brain child of our flight lead Major Mickey Moore and boy were they a hit," said Captain Faulkner. A final decision on the location for Hawgsmoke 2006 has not been made yet. Traditionally, the winner of the competition will be hosting the next one. Since the flying part was canceled, it wasn't decided who will host the next event in 2006. According to Lt Col. Macauley, "Everyone involved with Hawgsmoke 2004 will get together in the near future to review this year's event and determine the next host site." (all photos by author)