DAYTON, Ohio -- On July 26, 1947, President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act while on board the VC-54C
Sacred Cow. This act established the Air Force as an independent service, making the
Sacred Cow, on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, the birthplace of the Air Force.
On Feb. 19, visitors can celebrate Presidents Day while commemorating 60 years of the Air Force. The Presidential Gallery, located on the secure part of the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, houses the
Sacred Cow, as well as the pen used by Truman to sign the National Security Act.
The gallery also holds eight other presidential aircraft used to transport former U.S. presidents, kings, queens and heads of state from nations all over the world. The collection includes the Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000
Air Force One, the plane that brought Kennedy's body back from Dallas in 1963, the Douglas VC-118
Independence and the Lockheed VC-121E
Columbine III. In addition, the gallery holds artifacts such as playing cards, matches and note paper used by former U.S. presidents.
In the Air Power Gallery, the museum highlights President Reagan's years of military service in the "Celebrities in Uniform" exhibit. Items such as identification cards, lapel pins, a military overcoat, and various documents are on display.
For more information about the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, please visit our Web site at
www.nationalmuseum.af.mil or call 937-255-3286, ext. 302. For information on the special guidelines for visiting the Presidential Gallery, please visit
www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/exhibits/presidential/index.asp.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force is located on Springfield Pike, six miles northeast of downtown Dayton. It is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day). Admission and parking are free.
NOTE TO PUBLIC: For more information, contact the National Museum of the United States Air Force at (937) 255-3286, ext. 302.
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