In support of an official event 

The Museum will be closed Sunday, May 25
In addition, the Fourth Hangar will be closed Saturday, May 24

Access to the Presidential Gallery will be limited from May 15 to June 5

Effective immediately, the William E. Boeing Presidential Gallery will have limited guest access due to scheduled event preparations. The only accessible exhibits during this time include: Douglas VC-54 Sacred Cow, Flying the President Exhibit, USAF Established Artifact.
We anticipate full gallery access will resume by 5 June 2025.

Fact Sheet Alphabetical List

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  • Angels of Mercy

    About 20 chaplains became POWs with the fall of Bataan and Corregidor, and some of them went on the Death March.Awarded a Silver Star for his bravery in Bataan before the surrender, Chaplain Robert Preston Taylor also served his fellow man on the Death March. He was beaten and tortured during the

  • Aftermath of the Bataan Death March

    Though the situation was hopeless, USAAF personnel battled to defend Bataan to the end, only giving up when they were ordered to do so by their commanding officer. After the surrender, many USAAF men paid the ultimate price during the brutal and infamous Bataan Death March or in the miserable

  • Bataan Death March

    The Bataan Death March began on April 10, 1942, when the Japanese assembled about 78,000 prisoners (12,000 U.S. and 66,000 Filipino). They began marching up the east coast of Bataan. Although they didn't know it, their destination was Camp O'Donnell, north of the peninsula. The men, already

  • The End in Bataan

    "You men remember this. You did not surrender ... you had no alternative but to obey my order." - Maj. Gen. Edward King Jr., commander on Bataan Although it was supposed to be a stronghold, Bataan had not been adequately supplied before the siege began. Most of its defenders had become sick with

  • One Man Scourge: William E. Dyess

    Nicknamed the "One Man Scourge," Capt. William E. Dyess exhibited remarkable courage, sacrifice and leadership not only during combat in the Philippines, but also after he was captured.Commander of the 21st Pursuit Squadron, Capt. Dyess personally led his unit against the Japanese amphibious

  • Desperate Defenders: The Provisional Air Corps Regiment

    The Provisional Air Corps Regiment (PACR) was created in January 1942, from USAAF air base, supply and flying squadrons. Some were still waiting for their aircraft to arrive from the United States. For others, their aircraft had been destroyed in December or evacuated to continue the fight

  • Buying Time in the Pacific: The Battle of the Points

    In a gamble, the Japanese tried to outflank the main line by landing a force of 900 men on Jan. 23 in southern Bataan, followed by another 300 reinforcements on Jan. 27. About 1,000 men from the 24th Pursuit Group and 19th Bombardment Group fought alongside U.S. Army soldiers, sailors, Marines, and

  • The Cost of Being Unprepared: The Last Days on Bataan

    "It really must be getting serious when they have to take the mechanics and armament men and make infantrymen out of them." - Jan. 9, 1942, diary entry of 2nd Lt. John Posten, 24th Pursuit Group pilot On Dec. 8, 1941, Japanese aircraft crippled several USAAF airfields in the Philippines -- within

  • Imperial Brutality: Bataan Death March

    "Their ferocity grew as we marched ... they were no longer content with mauling stragglers or pricking them with bayonet points. The thrusts were intended to kill."- Capt. William Dyess, 21st Pursuit Squadron commanderWith few aircraft left, U.S. Army Air Forces personnel fought as infantry to hold

  • First AAF Ace of WWII

    Lt. Boyd D. "Buzz" Wagner, commanding officer of the 17th Pursuit Squadron in the Philippines, was the first AAF ace of World War II. Flying against overwhelming odds, he was one of the handful of American fighter pilots who engaged vastly superior numbers of Japanese aircraft as the enemy overran