HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD — The installation’s 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment is preparing to say farewell to an old friend, the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.The Army is decommissioning the Kiowa after more than 40 years of service, mostly as a light reconnaissance helicopter. The Kiowa will be replaced by the UH-72 Lakota and UH-64 Apache. Next month, 3-17th CAV pilots will fly their 30 Kiowa Warriors one last time to Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.Prior to losing the Kiowa, Lt. Col. Geoffrey A. Whittenberg, the unit commander, wanted to use the training preparation for the formation flight to Arizona as part of a final flight ceremony for the helicopter that had been so much a part of their lives.On Wednesday, 22 of the Kiowa Warriors flew in formation from Hunter to Fort Stewart, then to Tybee Island and downtown Savannah before arriving back at Hunter, where each Kiowa flew through a water-cannon arch created by firetrucks from the Stewart-Hunter Fire Department.“We just did a final flight of our aircraft,” said Whittenberg, who said he’s been a Kiowa pilot his entire career and has flown the helicopter in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.