The two dozen or so military planes housed at the Grissom Air Museum have countless stories to tell of World War II veterans, battles in Vietnam and raids during Desert Storm.
"This is a KC-97," says Grissom Air museum Executive Director Jim Price as he points to an airplane that looks like a military version of a 747. "This was the first tanker brought to the base in the late '50s."
Needless to say, newer models have replaced nearly all of these planes, and it's Jim Price's job to make sure the older ones don't fall into disrepair.
But that costs money,which is something he doesn't have a lot of.
The museum makes some money off admissions, souvenirs and donations, and Price is always trying to host events with veterans who used to fly the planes.
But that only brings in so much money. Price is the only full-time employee at the museum, which relies heavily on volunteers.
So lawmakers have decided to give the Grissom Air Museum $150,000 from state coffers over the next two years to restore military planes to their former glory.
Price plans to use the money to repaint the planes, give them anti-rust treatment, and maintain the museum grounds, all in hopes of making the museum more attractive.
"Just like any history, it can be dry toast, which is what a lot of history books are, or you can be a living history, which is what we're trying to be," Price says.
The $150,000 will fulfill the museum's current five-year strategic plan.
In the next five to ten years, Price is hoping to raise more money to create videos of veterans who flew in the planes telling their stories that visitors can watch as they tour the facility.
He says Indiana has a long military history and with many veterans growing older, Price wants the museum to preserve their stories so they won't be forgotten.
The Grissom Air Museum has received state funding since 2013. It also received funding in the past, but that funding was cut off in 2008 when the recession hit.
