ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – By land, sea, and air, World War II was the biggest and deadliest conflict of its kind.

Now, a group of pilots is fighting to make sure what happened isn’t only recorded but also preserved. A piece of that mission still exists in St. Charles County.

Imagine it’s World War II, and you’re in the nose of a bomber jet. At the time, it was the brand new North American B-25 Mitchell.

“The B-25 that you’ll see out here will turn 80 years old at the end of this year.” Rob Jenner, Wing Leader of the Missouri Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), said. “As we move further and further away from that time, the memory starts to fade and the history is a little bit more difficult.”

The CAF is trying to keep that time alive for the younger generations. Wing leader Rob Jenner says he’s noticing a change in perception.

Lawrence Berra is only 14 years old, but he’s taken a particular interest in Warcraft. He trains with CAF and even flies with the group. They do about 15 air shows per year.

“Its kind of fascinating that people would do that, would bomb, especially in that plane, its a little cramped in there” Berra said. “It’s been pretty fun; I’ve got to do some hands-on stuff, cleaning the plane, doing maintenance on it. We found it in Illinois, and then we made it into that.”

Berra says there’s more to the operation than just the fun of flying.

“So I can keep this thing alive for as long as possible, for generations and generations to see.”

18-year-old James Perkins is also part of CAF. He mentions that he “wants to learn more about World War II airplanes,” including the torpedo bomber, which is the same model that President George H.W. Bush was flying when he was shot down in the Pacific.

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Honing in on the homefront, Jenner explains, the group’s Missouri Wing is focusing on an educational outreach program to further develop aeronautics into stem.

“The inspiration leans towards the younger kids,” Jenner says. “It’s to inspire and educate these kids and hopefully to promote and inspire them through STEM to move into avionics and aerospace. It’s a nationwide effort leaning towards those.”

CAF plans to show more classrooms some call signs, and Lawrence says this school year he plans to start his own Warcraft club.

The hidden gem filled with these giant aircraft has opportunities for you to step into history. To learn more about the Missouri Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, click here .

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