He spent nearly 40 years on the force.
One Arizona state trooper got emotional as he signed off for the last time recently, capping a nearly 40-year career.
Mark Gilberg, who struggled to hold back his emotions, told Inside Edition he did everything in his power to not cry.
"I clocked out for the last time and the emotion hit me," he said. "I did everything in my power not to get emotional and it just hit me. I couldn’t help it."
He retired after 37 years on the force, and in a video shared by the Arizona Department of Public Safety on Twitter, the trooper can be heard announcing his final goodbye to colleagues.
The dispatch has now gone viral, making his last call a truly memorable one.
"I know my husband and I know he tried hard to do it without crying," his wife, Carol, told Inside Edition.
His wife filmed the emotional final call and Mark says he wanted to prepare something to say to the dispatcher one last time, but he was so busy that he didn’t have a chance to write anything down.
“We share a lot of things with the guys on the squad, a lot of ups and downs," he said of his bond with colleagues. "You see people die. You rescue people. You are in court. Sometimes you are helping people. When it all just culminated and I realized it was over, it was just really tough.”
Carol is thrilled that her husband is now retired since she no longer has to worry about something happening to him in the field.
Mark says that he plans to travel with his wife, spend more time with his grandkids and "just enjoy life," adding, "I am looking forward to it."
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