BIG SPRING, Texas — There's a lot of history here in West Texas and you don't have to look hard to find it.
Big Spring was the home to an air force base during World War II where many airmen trained and graduated to serve our country.
"It's important to this town because really when the bombardier school came to we were a farming, oil community prior to World War II and then when Pearl Harbor was bombed and they decided to put an army air core base here that brought in people from all over everywhere,” said Amber Stokes, Hangar 25 Museum Administrator.
“You had people from all over the United States because they were working here or training here so you basically had people these new lives starting in this small little town,” Stokes said.
Big Spring was home of the Big Spring Air Force Base. Eventually changing its name to the Webb Air Force Base, it was built to train pilots during World War II, which is where the Hanger 25 Museum sits, unchanged.
"This building being about 80 years old we have everything in here pretty original, our ceiling is still original, we've had some patchwork and I would say for the most part, 90% of it is still what was put in here in 1941,” said Stokes.
The hangar is where planes sit from a time where the United States was protecting our country and the world.
It also honors the classes of young men that choose to serve their country
"Most of our guys were 18, 19, 20, 21 so really young,” said Stokes.
The airbase has a history with people all throughout the country
"I've been to different places where like my dad was there, my uncle was there, my friend told me about Big Spring and there was an air base so it's got this connection where you see this small teeny tiny little town and see the outreach it's had just from this air base, and it only was here for a period of time,” said Stokes.
The museum hopes to have an impact far into the future
"You might inspire just a pilot or even if they do become an air force pilot boys and girls, you never know who you inspire."