Al Sproul, a member of the AC-47 Spooky Gunship Brotherhood, speaks during a plaque dedication ceremony at the Hurlburt Field Air Park, Fla., Sept. 9, 2016. The first AC-47 combat missions took place December 1964 during the Vietnam War. Within a year, they flew missions throughout South Vietnam providing local defense at night. On thousands of occasions, Spooky crews prevented friendly ground positions from being overrun. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Dennis Spain)