USAF / Senior Airman Corey Hook
Capt. Richard Olson, 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron A-10 pilot, gets off an A-10 Warthog after his flight at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Sept. 2, 2011.
On Wednesday, the news broke that the Pentagon would not mothball the much loved A-10 Thunderbolt, or "Warthog," as it has come to be known.
The debate surrounding the A-10, a Cold War-era close air support air frame, has drawn heated rhetoric from senators and top military brass as well as common foot soldiers.
The Pentagon's decision to keep the A-10 in service through 2017 shows that even in a time when technology is redefining the battle space, proven platforms like the A-10 still have a meaningful role in the military.
Below are some of the reasons why the A-10 inspires hope in US troops, fear in their enemies, and can't be counted out of the fight just yet.