Lt. Col. James Gold is congratulated by Lt. Col. James Marks, commander, 917th Operations Support Flight, after returning from his last sortie in an A-10 Thunderbolt II at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., April 5, 2013. Gold participated in a four-ship sortie for his last mission from Barksdale with three other pilots assigned to the 47th Fighter Squadron, who were also making their final flights. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jeff Walston/Released)