The Yankee Air Museum held its annual Memorial Day event on Monday to honor and remember veterans.

Many volunteers were on hand to show families and visitors the aircraft on display.

Katrease Stafford | AnnArbor.com

“We do a Memorial Day event every year,” said Recruiting Coordinator Tom Carroll.” It’s really a way of introducing people to the organization.”

Carroll said Memorial Day is a day of significant importance at the museum, which honors soldiers along with their aircraft.

“You have to ask the question, if they didn’t serve would we be here and would we be what we are today?” he said. “We are what we are today because (of) all of these soldiers, all these veterans who did serve and who went to war to preserve our quality of life and our freedom. They fought for everything that makes America a great country. Some of them didn’t get to come back home.”

The museum is going into its 31st year of operation since it’s opening in 1981 by a group of individuals who desired to preserve southeastern Michigan’s aviation history. The facility has been open since October 2010, following a fire that destroyed the old location Oct. 9, 2004.

“This is all part of a rebuilding process that we’re in,” Carrol said.

The museum has a number of displays, but the aircraft are most popular among crowds.

The museum purchased the “Yankee Lady” B-17G in 1986 and it was used in the movie “Tora! Tora! Tora!” The Douglas C-47 World War II transport was built in 1945 and acquired by the museum in 1981. The B-25D aircraft, also known as the “Yankee Warrior” saw combat in World War II and is one of only two B-25D’s still flying today.

The aircraft attract hundreds of visitors per year and are flown and displayed at numerous air shows. Carroll said the museum puts an emphasis on attracting families with its many displays, aircraft and educational tools.

“We want young people here,” he said. “The kids love the airshows. The only way we can keep the story alive is to get the young people to have some sort of understanding and appreciation for this.”

Nearly 300 people came to the annual event.

Katrease Stafford | AnnArbor.com

“My dad likes the museum and he likes to come see the planes and sit with people who are former vets,” Lewis said. “He was in the Korean War. It’s a way from him to remember the things he did before and be able to talk with people who share his past.”

Belleville resident Joey Coronado brought his five-year-old daughter to the event so she could be “exposed to history.”

“I think it’s important for people to know that this isn’t just a day off from work,” Coronado said. “It doesn’t matter what your personal thoughts on war are, it should just be a day of remembrance and gratitude.”

World War II veteran Larry Arnett came to see some of the old aircraft and memorabilia. Arnet, 89, served in the United States Signal Corps, which was responsible for developing and managing communications.

“I was a cryptographer,” Arnett said. “I encoded and decoded messages that went in and out of headquarters in Europe.”

Arnett served for 32 months and said he hopes people continue to remember the purpose of the day— honoring fallen service members for their heroic acts.

“I have mixed feelings about remembering,” Arnett said. “What I remember the war for was how terrible it was… There were so many people killed and lost and we should not be glamorizing it. We should be remembering people’s sacrifices.”