WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Special Agents from four Air Force Office of Special Investigations units at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, took part in a behind-the-scenes tour of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on Jan. 21, combining team building with a close look at how Air Force history is preserved.
The participating units, the 10th Field Investigative Squadron (FIS), National Security Detachment 1 (NSD), Procurement Fraud Det. 4 (PF) and Special Projects Det. 2 (PJ), began the day in the museum’s restoration hangar.
There, museum volunteers guided them through active restoration projects and explained the historical significance of aircraft awaiting future display.
According to Special Agent Beth A. Wager, Special Agent in Charge of NSD 1, who organized the event, it required coordination across multiple organizations. “This event took coordination between the four units, including bus transportation and the museum staff to ensure there was enough interest and guides to support the tour,” she said.
Among the highlights was The Swoose, the World War II–era B-17 Flying Fortress recognized as the oldest surviving intact B-17 and the only remaining D-model, which flew combat missions during the earliest days of U.S. involvement in the war.
Special Agents also viewed a Cold War–era MC-12W intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, the rare Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster experimental bomber, one of only two prototypes built, and a full-scale model of the Orion drone, a developmental aircraft concept that never flew.
Each aircraft is being carefully restored for eventual exhibition at the museum or other military institutions. For many of the participants, the access and depth of the tour stood out.
“This tour was awesome,” said Special Agent Nicolas Boyd, a counterintelligence agent with 10th FIS. “I’m a huge history fan, and it was right up my alley.”
Later in the day, the group moved to the museum’s archives and collections department, where staff explained how Department of the Air Force history is preserved and brought to the public.
The Research Division manages a collection of documents and photographs, much of it donated by the public, with volunteers sorting and cataloging thousands of items to support historians’ research and ensure accurate representation.
According to Boyd, the professionalism and pride of the museum staff were evident throughout the visit. “The guides and staff were extremely knowledgeable and clearly proud of their work, which really showed in the craftsmanship and the overall tour experience,” he said.
Museum staff also demonstrated modern preservation practices. To personalize the visit, they selected artifacts tied to the history of AFOSI across multiple eras, offering Special Agents a direct connection to their organization’s heritage.
During this portion of the tour, agents learned how fragile materials, including documents and textiles, are stored in large, refrigerated units designed to slow deterioration. Wager said many participants were surprised by how much of the museum’s collection remains out of public view.
“They have thousands upon thousands of artifacts in storage, some still boxed and waiting to be cataloged, others being preserved that the public may never see,” she said. “We were allowed a small peek behind the curtain, and it was amazing to see some of our history up close.”
The visit concluded with a look at the craftsmanship behind exhibit development. Artisans from the Restoration and Exhibits divisions showed how skills in metalworking, woodworking, sheet metal fabrication and precision painting are used to build custom display cases, full-scale replicas and immersive exhibits enhanced with theatrical lighting and detailed displays.
“I learned a lot that I didn’t know before, especially about how much work and preparation goes into preparing items for different museums and how many artifacts are acquired,” Boyd said.
Inside the museum’s Storage Hangar, were aircraft young and old awaiting restoration or future exhibition including an F-16 Fighting Falcon, a Stearman PT-17 Kaydet with Tuskegee Airmen history, and a German Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft from World War II.
The Presidential Gallery, located in the museum’s fourth building includes SAM 26000, the VC-137C that served as Air Force One for President John F. Kennedy. The hangar also houses nine other Presidential aircraft that served presidents as far back as Franklin Roosevelt.
In the end, the tour offered Special Agents a detailed view of the work that goes into preserving Air Force history while reinforcing a shared connection to AFOSI’s legacy.
“I would highly recommend visiting the museum if you have the opportunity,” Boyd said. “There’s something there that will speak to everyone.”