Pensacola: Wings of Gold

After Jack Hightower's car is blown up in Cairo, Kelly re-evaluates and decides he wants to be in a combat unit.

Spoon's car is stolen and, on Kate's advice, he turns to Capone for help. Kelly's daughter visits from college. Kelly recruits Cricket to be in the corner of a boxer.

Burner, Hammer and Kelly are on a carrier. Burner's plane loses radio reception and navigation after possibly being struck by lightning during a storm. Because of heavy rain he cannot see the carrier and he may run out of fuel and crash. Back on shore Spoon and Ice nearly become romantic before Capone alerts them about the danger Burner is in, whereupon they rush to base.

Burner returns to shore and Spoon, Ice and Kate exult in his return from near death. Ice is injured by an explosion and is medically grounded by her doctor until her arm is strong enough to work the ejector lever. Spoon is jealous of the doctor and is having trouble getting over his near romance with Ice. Kelly investigates to try and find where the unexploded ordinance came from.

Spoon and Ice look for a new roommate who can serve as a buffer between them. They and Capone undergo survival training. Kate goes out with their training officer, Capt. Ray Hartley, and becomes a victim of date rape.

Missiles are stolen from the base. Schaeffer, a Marine, saves Ice from a fire but when his burning shirt is torn off, a tattoo of a swastika is revealed and he is suspected of the theft. Meanwhile, Teri returns and guilt seems to keep her and Spoon apart. While Teri and Capone are present, Spoon uses a toast that Ice taught him on the night they almost became romantic.

The unit will be learning Burke's Breach, a combined attack strategem or set of tactics. General Burke, a former mentor of Kelly's, visits the unit, but his strange behavior endangers men during an exercise and Capone's career is threatened. Kelly discovers Burke's behavior may be caused by exposure to chemicals during the Gulf War.

Johnny Terelli, Capone's brother, comes to visit but doesn't tell Eddie that he is being pursued by both an FBI agent and a murderous Russian mobster, which endangers both Spoon and Ice. Country musician Gary Allan gives Kate and Mad Dog backstage passes and sings "Smoke Rings in the Dark."

Spoon gets a visit from an old friend whose lies put him in an uncomfortable position. The worthless son of a famed pilot causes problems on a mission led by Spoon and Ice. Capone arranges a photo shoot at the beach house with a bevy of scantily-clad women.

A reckless private collects some ordinance after an exercise, instead of calling EOD. While doing an inventory, Spoon and Abby are caught in an explosion and Capone is hit. Spoon starts hallucinating as he drifts in and out of consciousness, but rescuers can not get to them until unexploded ordinance is dealt with. Kelly and Hammer try to determine what happened.

Hammer, Kelly and Ice fly some replacement Hornets out to an aircraft carrier and are assigned a supporting role in a combat mission. Kelly becomes an ace. Meanwhile Kate investigates her deceased husband's past after she finds a picture of a woman with whom she thinks he had an affair.

After a helo pilot fails a training test, he gets himself killed, and Kelly is accused in an Article 32 hearing. The deceased marine wrote letters to his mother, a congresswoman, which contradict the truth and seemingly prove Kelly's guilt. Spoon, Mad Dog and Capone testify. Hammer and Col. Drayton offer moral support.

After a case of spousal abuse, Kelly goes to Washington to ask for raises for enlisted men. There he meets Ali, an old flame, and they rekindle the fire. Ice goes out with Dr. Brandon. Hammer has a close call.

When Spoon's plane malfunctions, counterfeit parts are discovered to be the cause and an investigation begins. Hammer meets a lawyer who feigns interest in him but is actually questioning him. Kate's niece, Megan, is running the Bucket in her absence. Meanwhile Teri handles the estate of Spoon's father and as a result, receives a lucrative job offer.

After his daughter is injured in a car accident, Kelly takes her out on an plane trip to a remote cabin but the small plane starts having mechanical problems. They land, but have no way of calling for help and she starts having complications from the first accident and may die. Hammer, Capone and Ice try to find them.

It's Blaze vs. Ice in the Pensacola Shootout, where the Marines, Air Force, Navy and RAF all send two of their best pilots to compete. Spoon is Ice's wingman. Also there is an opening for a female astronaut; Hammer worries that Megan has a drinking problem.

Abby meets Mark, an attractive man, coaching soccer, and begins a love affair with him. Then she finds out that the man is already married, and worse, to a marine sergeant air controller who was under investigation for a near miss involving her. The man tells his wife that Abby blackmailed him into sex for testimony clearing her.

Burner returns, attached to the Special Operations Training Group, to prepare the 18th M.E.U. for a mission.

When a peace-keeping mission strands Burner in the jungles of San Felipe with rebel forces searching for him, Kelly and Hammer try to get permission to mount a rescue.

Kelly returns to his hometown, Marfa, Texas, to be honored. He discovers two bodies. Back at the base Capone and Spoon talk to recruiters.

When fears of a terrorist attack cause a special exercise to be delayed, the assassin sneaks away and becomes a threat to Kelly and Hammer. Kate returns, considering another's marriage proposal when she gets no encouraging signs from Kelly. Spoon and Ice's relationship heats up to the point that Kelly says one of them will have to be reassigned elsewhere.