Colonel John Caldas, Commanding Officer of VMA 311, led the last combat sortie of the Viet Nam war on January 27, 1973 --- armistace day, from Bien Hoa. The bomb rack was configured such that the painted bomb in the picture was the last one released from the compliment on the A-4E Skyhawk; and the Skyhawk was the last plane in his flight to drop bombs just minutes before the U.S. agreed to end hostilities around 11:45 local RVN time. The target was an old, former French rubber plantation north of Bien Hoa where there was reported enemy activity. The bomb painted by troops in the squadron says: "THE LAST BOMB, 9,738.38 tons dropped VMA-311, Bien Hoa, RVN 17 May 72 - 27 Jan 73".