Air Guard members prep for mission

BOISE – About 200 Idaho Air Guard members, including a pilot involved in a 2003 friendly fire death that drew international attention, are making final preparations for their new mission in Iraq next month.

The airmen are part of the Boise-based 190th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron. Two of the unit’s A-10 pilots were involved in the death of British soldier Lance Cpl. Matty Hull.

Hull, 25, was killed and at least four others wounded when at least one U.S. jet fired on his convoy in the southern Iraq city of Basra on March 28, 2003.

The U.S. military hasn’t released the names of the A-10 pilots, who were cleared of wrongdoing by the military. But a British coroner ruled last month that the attack by the two American pilots was a criminal assault, and the leak of a damaging cockpit video set off a media frenzy.

One of the pilots will be deployed next month because of his extensive combat experience, Air Guard spokesman 1st Lt. Tony Vincelli said. The other pilot is retired.

When the squadron returns to Iraq, pilots will fly A-10 Warthogs equipped with a package of new cockpit technology designed to improve communication with ground commanders and lower the risk of friendly fire mistakes, Vincelli said. The cockpits now feature color display systems, text messaging software and infrared technology for night flights.

Some of the pilots will fly the A-10s to Iraq, while others will be transported on civilian and military planes. The squadron will focus on providing close air support for ground troops, Vincelli said. For security reasons, the exact location of the squadron’s deployment will not be made public.

For many, the trip overseas is nothing new.

The news coverage caused by the British investigation forced the Idaho pilots to move their families from their homes temporarily. One of the pilots left after British television crews and print journalists camped out on his lawn.