Photo By Airman Najzee Kuzu | Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Glen “Wally” Moorhead shakes hands with Anthony J....... read more read more
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DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. – The desert air carried something heavier than heat on the morning of June 25, 2026. As the A-10C Thunderbolt II made one of its final passes over the Barry M. Goldwater Range near Gila Bend, Arizona, Airmen assigned to the 355th Wing, community members, and civic leaders gathered to witness the familiar roar that had echoed across Tucson's skies for nearly five decades, marking one of the aircraft's final range days.
It was a display like hundreds before it, powerful and precise. But for the Airmen assigned to Davis-Monthan and the community that has stood behind them for decades, it was also something more. It was a living, breathing demonstration of everything the A-10 mission represented; discipline, dedication and an unwavering commitment to those on the ground watching.
Present was retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Glen “Wally” Moorhead, who has watched the A-10’s mission across over 38 years of service to his country, reflected on what the day revealed about the content of the character of the men and women behind it.
“The culture of attack is a special culture inside the United States Air Force,” Moorhead said “The people flying the airplanes, the people working on them, loading them, making them work, that culture of mission is just strong, it’s extremely strong. And it’s always been a pride of mine.”
For Tucson natives, range days like this one have long been more than a mere training demonstration. The growl of the gatling gun, and the sight of a warthog in the clouds above have become a message from the base to the city that supports it; a message that says, without words, that the people inside that fence are mission ready constantly.
Standing at the range, watching that capability unfold above, the crowd witnessed firsthand the standards the 355th Wing continues to uphold since the first A-10 arrived in Southern Arizona in the late 1970s.
Local residents have always understood the weight of that work. The community has welcomed Airmen into their businesses and spoken with pride about the aircraft and mission being flown overhead. That partnership is not incidental to the A-10’s legacy at DM, it’s central to it.
Retired Air Force Col. Bill Pitts, an A-10 to Davis-Monthan, spent more than 14 years of experience flying the aircraft during his 26-year career. He reflected on the close-knit community built among those who work with the Warthog day in and day out.
“The attitude, the atmosphere around the A-10 is special,” said Pitts, “There’s nothing like it. The pilots grow to love each other, and the attack community is a unique bunch.”
As the A-10 completed its last range day overhead, the weight of the moment settled over everyone gathered. As the aircraft thundered overhead, leadership from the 355th Wing, Airmen from Davis-Monthan, and community members watched together, united by a shared sense of pride.
Davis-Monthan’s mission continues, thrusted forward by the same spirit that makes the A-10 such a core piece of so many people’s lives. For those who stood beneath the desert sky that morning, those who felt the ground shake and watched the Warthog do what it has done best over the last fifty years, that memory will never fade away.
Moorhead, the man who delivered the first A-10 to Davis-Monthan nearly five decades ago, spoke to the strength and tight-knit community that the aircraft has woven through time.
“The A-10 on the front gate isn’t going to move. New airplanes will come, new pilots, new people, but the culture here lives in the city and it has for the last 50 years,” said Moorhead.
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2026 14:33 |
| Story ID: | 568699 |
| Location: | DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 17 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Davis-Monthan Hosts Final A-10 Range Day, by Amn Najzee Kuzu, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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