Now there is a museum there with two hangers full of planes, a planetarium, and some space stuff. We saw bombers, stuff from a Nebraska astronaut, a Russian MIG, and the engine from a plane that goes 3 times the speed of sound.
Hanging out with family. |
Arwen holding a meteorite. |
Lots of planes! Many of them were from the 1950s. |
This is when I realized that we weren't supposed to be in this one. We found out later that someone hadn't gotten the rope put in place when they were supposed to. |
In the machine gun turret. |
There are so many caption possibilities for these....
There was also a somber side, for me at least, in a display with a model fallout shelter and other Cold War memories. Ah, yes, the abiding fear of my childhood--nuclear annihilation. My nephews and niece aren't growing up with that reality.
It brings back memories. I was never terrified. It was just a part of reality that one accepted--now I lay me down to sleep, and if the Soviets attack I will be lucky if I never wake up. We were 50 miles from Ouffut Air Force Base and so we figured we would die in agony a few weeks from the radiation after the base vanished in a hail of bombs. It was important enough to be a first-round target-- there's a reason President Bush went there after the 9/11 attacks when we didn't know what was going on.
This is equipment from a nuclear missile silo. I think it was in Kansas. On the right you can see the key.
Here's a close-up:
An identical desk sat next to it in the display, with an identify spot for a key. I explained to Conner why--two people had to turn the key at the same time in order to launch a nuclear attack.
I took a picture of this, noting the caption at the bottom, and thought of Crimea and Putin's ambitions.
I'm praying for peace. And I'm remembering so many who sacrificed so much.
It's a really neat museum, and definitely worth a stop. I am not a military history buff by a long shot, but the place is full of stories, stories of heroism, ingenuity, exploration, and the past.
Glad you didn't hit any wrong buttons in the accidental cockpit visit!
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