By Jade Bulecza - bio | email
VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) –Past and present flying tigers got to see a live fire demonstration Friday at Moody Air Force Base's bombing range.
It's part of the flying tigers reunion and it showed off Moody's capabilities and how airmen attack, rescue, and protect.
That's the sound of the flying tigers fighting off enemies so they can get to a pilot whose aircraft crashed.
"We had HC-130s," said 23rd Fighter Group Commander Col. Skip Hinman. "We had A-10's and then we had guardian angel rescue men and combat rescue officers and finally we had joint terminal attack controllers from the 93rd AGOW directing the A-10's to the targets on the ground."
This is some of the training they do on a daily basis.
"It was a great show for everybody," said Col. Hinman. "The pilots did a fantastic job. They made a lot of noise. They hit their targets and they picked up the downed crew man."
Past flying tigers got to see the 23rd wing's modern capabilities.
"Its very interesting and I wish they would've had that in 1944," said veteran James Taylor.
Two friends, two war veterans, and both pilots watched the demonstration Friday as part of the flying tigers reunion.
"As James said, it's camaraderie and we love to see our old friends," said Kirk Kirkpatrick.
"We're very proud of our heritage and where we come from," said Col. Hinman. "Our WWII heritage, that came from Claire Chennault flying P-40s in China."
Decades later that legacy is still going strong.
You can see the flying tigers in action at the base's air show on November 13.
©2010 WALB News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Feedback
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 Worldnow and WALB, a Raycom Media Station. 
