80-0166 wore the “live free or die” door during Desert Storm while flying with the 23rd TFW based at England AFB LA. In the words of the Crew Chief at the time, Sgt Goose, this is where the door art theme came from…

"Dice, “Live free or die” is the New Hampshire state motto, the pilots home state. It’s not a duck, (I asked why a duck) it’s one of those “Guard Geese” you see on farms, they are usually big and  white. When the artist drew it Capt. Goose (the aircraft's pilot) showed him a picture of a WW2 nose art with Donald Duck with holding a machine gun, it was just updated with a flight suit, GAU-8A, and a cigar. That’s why sometimes I refer to it as the “gattlin goose.”  You had Capt. Goose (pilot) and me his Crew Chief, Sgt Goose, and Gander was Capt. Goose’s call sign. It was a real gaggle of Goose’s back then!"


Boy I love that story! 166 transferred to the Mass Guard in 1993 following the closure of England AFB and a new Crew Chief took over the jet. This began the Snoopy era and again in the words of the Crew Chief this is where the idea came from and why Snoopy is on the door today….

"...As for me and my assistant Crew Chief, we kinda think Snoopy embodies everything anyone in aviation could ever hope to be. I mean face it,  if you were a pilot and you wanted the coolest mount you would have to want to take a spin on the doghouse. He obviously is the one guy that really has done it all. Chicks always dig him no matter what day it is, he is the original Joe Cool etc. etc. etc. SO why wouldn't a dog of his stature settle for anything less than a Hawged up Dog House. Thats how 80-0166 got be so 'Dog Gone Ugly'."

The Dog Gone Ugly door began with only Snoopy and his doghouse with the phrase "Tenebrae factae Stunt" in the confer which means, again in the words of her Crew Chief....

 "Dice, the phrase comes from the New Testament describing the moment of Christ's crucifixion when "darkness has covered the face of the Earth" The text was just an interm posting until I had the down time to actually get the door finished. I just thought that given the period of time, with our newly found Litening II pod work coupled with the NVG work we did at night, made it a fitting phrase."    



Another aspect of this story is the former Crew Chief Sgt. Goose and the current Crew Chief Hawg166 are friends and keep in contact with each other through phone calls and emails. Sgt. Goose crewed her in Gulf War I and Hawg166 returned to Iraq in Gulf War II to finish the job.


Snoopy has finally gone ugly (should have went ugly early) and has received a complete repaint!  Emilly Lainson donated her time and talent to redo  "Dog Gone Ugly" to make this super door a complete piece of art. I know I speak for the Crew Chief, Hawg166, when I say thanks Emilly  for giving your time and talent to help complete this art and not only add to the history of this aircraft itself  but, also to  the "art history" of the A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" <S>!!!  

Send images or information to...
  Hogpen13@aol.com