The OH-58D Kiowa Warrior. 45 years of service and heading straight to the shredder.

2015-09-03T15:56:17-04:00

Some of the 'cost-saving' decisions for our military include retiring multiple airframes to include the Air Force's A-10 and the Army's only dedicated aerial scout platform, the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior. For the last year, I have seen at least 3 Squadrons head into the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB. It is painful to watch, when you have spent your career in the field with these helicopters and know first hand what they bring to the fight. The OH-58 (A & C series) platform has been serving our country for over 45 years. The armed version, the OH-58D, was rushed into service for operations in Desert Shield/Storm. Over the decades, the DoD has been hell bent on replacing her and has spent billions researching other options and creating the short lived replacement, the Commanche. No matter what they came up with, there was never found to be a suitable replacement. If you ever got desert dust on your boots, you saw them fly overhead providing security. If you ever left the wire, you felt relieved seeing them overhead. But if you were ever in contact and called in the birds, you knew the enemy was about to get their butt handed to them. Rain or shine, day or night, the Kiowas were inbound.
Yesterday, the latest group of OH-58D's flew in from Fort Drum. But they are no longer heading into the boneyard. These aircraft are heading for the shredders. No museum displays, no veteran organizations, not to be transferred to the police/forestry services/BLM for $1 like they did for UH-1and AH-1, just straight to the shredders. This is no way for such an iconic part of Army aviation history to end. Please spread the word to your Congressmen, veteran's groups, air museums, PAO's, and let them know what is happening. These aircraft weren't brought here on the backs of low boy trailers. They were flown in from across the country. Let's find them a more suitable ending to their careers.

Response by PFC Claude Cooper made Sep 3 at 2015 4:13 PM

2015-09-03T16:13:40-04:00

Your absolutely right ,i regret to see the unit i was apart of 6-17 Cav Out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska dismantled and people i had a pleasure working with sent on their merry ways, the 0H-58 played an intrugal part in the dominance in U.S. forces overseas. They are easy to maintain,parts were cheap,don't really understand the Army position on replacing/retiring 58s,really sad to see this iconic bird laid to rest and am saying this with a heavy heart, am just glad i was apart history, maintaining and preparing these bird on their glorious flight everyday...farewell old bird....#Outfront.

Response by LTC Paul Mullins made Sep 3 at 2015 4:16 PM

2015-09-03T16:16:21-04:00

It is sad. I told my wife as I retired this year that it was only fitting as they were retiring my aircraft! I need one for my mancave, er I mean museum! lol I wonder if they would sell me one? I remember we sold off our Hueys for $500 to law enforcement. I tried to find a small town to name me sheriff!

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Sep 3 at 2015 4:17 PM

2015-09-03T16:17:43-04:00

I feel the same way every time I drive past Davis-Monthan bone yard. All of the top of the line aircraft when I was in are there.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Sep 3 at 2015 5:14 PM

2015-09-03T17:14:20-04:00

I thought this was bad, but anything but the shredder!

Response by SGT Rick Ash made Sep 3 at 2015 5:38 PM

2015-09-03T17:38:33-04:00

Mark,
That is so sad to hear. I rode in one just once, I think it came in from Osan AFB in S.Korea to K-16 ( Camp Howard, now a ROK compound ) This was in the Spring of 1978. I had to get to the DMZ with a critical tracker component and the drive would have been over 3 hours. I will call both of my senators (Rand Paul & Mitch McConnell) and my SVC OFC. This is tragic. The Comanche was certainly not an equivalent! I had no idea, appreciate the news flash!
Rick

Response by SGT Bryon Sergent made Sep 3 at 2015 5:57 PM

2015-09-03T17:57:58-04:00

Well since they are also doing away with the MRAP I guess our ass will be hanging in the breeze. I felt really good knowing that the birds were over head While we were on convoy's

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Sep 3 at 2015 7:48 PM

2015-09-03T19:48:50-04:00

SFC Mark Merino This is a sad day in our military history. Epic in regards to Aviation.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Sep 3 at 2015 7:48 PM

2015-09-03T19:48:56-04:00

SFC Mark Merino This is a sad day in our military history. Epic in regards to Aviation.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 4 at 2015 12:15 PM

2015-09-04T12:15:37-04:00

Meh.....they did their time. Too small and too underpowered for the amount crap shoved into them. I preferred the Apache's during assaults in Afghanistan. The scouts were great and getting us prelim LZ information etc., but when you just needed to have something blown up at a 8500ft LZ, they had a hard time (or just couldn't) hanging.

I submit that the Army did most of those pilots a solid by sending them to various C-12 units.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 4 at 2015 7:42 PM

2015-09-04T19:42:15-04:00

SFC Mark Merino It is a terrible thought to think that they are heading to the shredder. I'm surprised they are not being picked up for display by one of our military museums. There are so many, that I'm sure somewhere a historical curator must want one.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Sep 8 at 2015 5:37 PM

2015-09-08T17:37:45-04:00

8 more just flew overhead 30 minutes ago. Either it started to drizzle or the pilots were in tears.

Response by SPC Paul Prevost made Sep 10 at 2015 6:35 PM

2015-09-10T18:35:16-04:00

I would like to say I feel bad but I do not. As an OH-58 Mechanic/Crew Chief with 8 yrs working and flying in and on those birds I for one am glad to see them gone for good. I remember my first 58 pilot telling me how he would give his left nut if they would throw all the 58's in the trash and bring back the OH-6's. "GATOR" Johnson was a WO-4 with 3 yrs experience flying OH helo's in Vietnam and was still flying when I left for Germany in '86. While in Baghdad serving as an Infantryman during the "Surge" we had to fight like hell to get any helicopter support and only actually seen OH-58D’s twice and never when we asked for Air Support. We were always told the same thing, the area was to hot and Higher did not want to risk losing an Air Asset. We were given air support at night though by Apache units, thank god, those guys always came through and covered our ass’s in a pinch.

As for the A-10’s, that is by far the most Bad Ass air platform ever built and those bastards made a major difference for the Joe’s on the ground during daily combat operations. Removing them from the inventory is a BAD idea. PERIOD!

On a side note, I finally made a pilgrimage to Ft Rucker and went to the Army Aviation Musium. Dam fine job they did with that place. And big surprise to me they have one of the OH-58’s I crewed on in Ft Carson as their display at the Main entrance.

Response by LTC Stephen C. made Feb 25 at 2016 5:20 PM

2016-02-25T17:20:41-05:00

SFC Mark Merino, CW3 James E. McCall was the pilot of an OH-58 when it exploded in flight during a training (ferrying) mission and crashed into the woods near the town of Eschenbach in der Oberpfalz, in the district of Neustadt, Bavaria, Germany on 25AUG78. Two other service members also died in this crash. The subsequent investigation revealed that it was not pilot error that caused the crash.
Jim and I were in the same high school graduating class and we ran track together. The photo is our senior high school class year book.
Requiescat in pace.

Response by SFC Jeffrey Couch made Jun 1 at 2017 12:48 AM

2017-06-01T00:48:37-04:00

Those that have sat on their as* and not sat on the side of a bird that makes or breaks a soldier is not worthy of calling it duty fit just a old grunts opinion

Response by SSG Lenzie Bailey made Jun 7 at 2019 1:23 AM

2019-06-07T01:23:46-04:00

Do you have the website with the list of tail numbers of the acft that are in the boneyard? Or can you at least tell me if T/N 0550 is there?