(Radio Iowa) – A Vietnam era military jet got a helicopter ride back to its home Tuesday following a new paint job courtesy of the 185th Iowa Air Guard in Sioux City. The A-7 D Corsair II was flown by helicopter to the Sioux City base in May from Freedom Park in South Sioux City. Freedom Park board member Mary Hogan was excited after waiting for the paint job to get done. “We waited so long for this to get over here. There’s probably at least ten of us out here that were sweating bullets pretty much from the time that we were hearing that the Army was on the way and the sling was being hooked up. And here we are,” he says. “I just can’t tell you how it feels to finally put this down here and bring it to its permanent home.”

(Photo: Vought A-7 D Corsair II via Siouxlandfreedompark.org)

The A-7 had been owned by the American Legion before all the arrangements were made to paint it and move it. The plane did not go overseas and had been used as a trainer for the 185th and other pilots when the unit flew fighters. “When they finished it, we’ve been waiting for decent enough weather and for the museum to bless off on us being able to bring it back over. And this is the time that the Army and the air and the Air Force, we’re all ready to go,” he says. Hogan had served with the 185th in Sioux City and was thrilled to see the plane as it got closer to its new home. “Pretty awesome seeing it from clear over on the horizon coming in and helicopter and the little bitty A-7 underneath it. And as it got bigger, you know that that’s very cool,” Hogan says.

The plane will sit in a permanent display near the Vietnam Memorial Wall replica and the Korean War Memorial at Freedom Park. Hogan says there will be a ribbon cutting opening the plane exhibit in the next couple of months.