Mission Objectives

Last week, Phil Davis and I had the pleasure of attending a luncheon hosted by the High Noon Club of Dallas. The guest speaker and program for the day was B. G. Burkett and his book Stolen Valor. When asked to help with fund raising for the Texas Vietnam Memorial, Mr. Burkett found that there was a lot of public misinformation about veterans in our society. Contrary to the image generated by the media, American Veterans as a group are more stable, better educated and more successful than equivalent non-veterans in each socio-economic group. Mr. Burkett's book is well researched and well written. A veteran of Vietnam himself, Mr. Burkett is well recommended as a speaker and writer. More information on his book can be found at the Stolen Valor web site.

Phil "volunteered" to co-present the program this week on the Cold War Air Museum. Phil's official title with the museum is "Volunteer Coordinator". As anyone who has that job can tell you, it compares unfavorably with professional cat herding. A retired IBM'er and Vietnam Era Veteran himself, Phil is one of our most dedicated volunteers and we are glad to have him.

Mission Briefing Begins: In preparing for our turn at the podium, I was reminded that a good briefing should always begin and end with a statement of objectives. I hope that everyone coming to the Blog visits the CWAM web site. There, hopefully you will find all the information you need about us. If you don't, please email or leave comments so we can respond. But in case you never visit the main site, my objective here and in our presentation is to inform you of Who we are. Where we are. What we are and Why we are making this presentation to you.

Who we are: The Cold War Air Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration and maintenance of Cold War era aircraft with a special emphasis on aircraft flown by the former Soviet Union. The Cold War Air Museum, Inc. is a member of the Texas Association of Museums, the American Association of Museums, and the North Texas Association of Aviation Museums

Where we are: The Cold War Air Museum is physically located at the Lancaster Regional Airport in Lancaster Texas, a suburb of Dallas/Ft Worth. Aircraft associated with the Museum have participated in local, regional and national fly-ins both in static and in-flight displays. Through its web presence, the Museum has actively displayed its aircraft, exhibits and programs to viewers in all 50 states and more than 30 foreign countries.

What we are: When a young man was asked; What is a museum? He answered, "its a place where you go to look at boring old dead peoples stuff". That is the definition of "WHAT WE ARE NOT". The Cold War Air Museum is a collective of Sponsors, Volunteers, Programs, Facilities, Aircraft and Exhibits. Each of those components is necessary for our success. The combination of those components is what makes us successful. Last year we had more than 4,000 visitors, hosted or co-hosted five on-airport events and museum aircraft flew or displayed at eleven other events in Texas and other states before crowds totaling in excess of 40,000 people. The museum also works with local schools and charities in fund-raising events and civic, science and technical training rolls.

Why we are making this presentation: We are still a relatively small and young museum. As we grow, part of our job is to reach out to the community, not only to let everyone know we are here, but to also increase the number of programs and visitors we have. In order to do this, we are seeking compatible sponsors and volunteers to expand and support the museum. We are also looking to expand the number of working relationships we have with schools, colleges, community organizations and other museums.

Mission Briefing Ends: In conclusion, you should now know who, where, what and why. There will be no test. But seriously, I want to emphasize one more important word and that is, "How". The "How" comes from your help and participation. If you are in our area, please consider volunteering or sponsoring an activity. Come see us on any Saturday or email Phil Davis our Volunteer Coordinator. If you are not in our area, you can still participate by contacting us with any ideas you may have for helping with our activities or improving our organization. Thank you.