Why is the A-10 Warthog loved by almost every service member?

that thing saved me in combat on two occasions , I seen it in action live,  and I had a pilot fly over a US Flag for me over Afghanistan.  I love it for that reason. It is an awesome piece of equipment and I know what its capable off. When I grow up I wanna be a A-10 pilot, lol.

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style='color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'>It’s because it’s one of very few USAF aircraft that are actually designed to support the ground.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"></font><p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style='color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'>The rest of them are designed to go fast and look cool.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

Our base transitioned to the A-10's back in 1990 - they reminded me of the old WWII aircraft in their design.&nbsp; The A-10 is an awesome close combat ground assault weapon platform that does precisely what it is designed for.&nbsp; It is the infantry's best friend in the sky (next to the spectre gunship) that will wreck havoc with any armor on the ground.&nbsp; The pilot sits in a titanium 'bathtub' so to speak - so unless he gets hit in the canopy or runs into the ground - he is pretty safe.&nbsp;If the pilot is real good he can let loose with the gatlin gun and then turn on a dime (due to slowing the forward motion of the aircraft from the burst).&nbsp;The amounts and types of munitions it can hold and/or deliver are fantastic.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;