“They were great birds to fly. You could land them anywhere, in any type of environment; they were great for what we were using them for here.”-Captain Tyler Smith, Bravo Company commander, 1st Bn, 5th Avn Reg

The U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 5th Aviation Regiment OH-58C Kiowas fly over Fort Polk, Louisiana, for the last time, 09JUL2020.  The Kiowa helicopters are being replaced with UH-72 Lakotas.

Farewell water salute.

The U.S. Army’s oldest operational aircraft is a Kiowa, tail # O-16696, now to become a static display ‘gate guard’ at Fork Polk.  Three of the Fort Polk Kiowas will be cannibalized for spare parts while the other four retiring Kiowas will be used by sheriff departments in Texas, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

The Kiowa family of helicopters have been used by the U.S. Army since 1969.  Ultimately, 2-thousand-2-hundred different versions of the Kiowa would be built between 1966 and 1989.  The U.S. Army’s last operational ‘C’ Kiowas are based at Fort Irwin (National Training Center), California, but will also be retired soon.

Vehicle I-D: COLORADO MILITIA LAKOTA RESCUE TRAINING