ABILENE, Texas — It’s been 75 years since the allied victory in World War II.
Now, some of the precious artifacts used to tell that story are in danger after an air-conditioning unit broke down.
William Lenches, 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum executive director in Abilene, said the museum is a learning tool that can’t be replaced and includes their artifacts. According to Lenches, the museum has been open for nearly 20 years, but the building itself was built in the 1950s.
"With a building that old you’re going to have systems that fail and things that need maintenance," Lenches said.
He said two of the A/C units went down at the same time, which has halted the ability to control the climate and humidity in the museum, something crucial to the preservation of its cloth and paper artifacts that date are irreplaceable and date back to World War II.
"Every day we hear of World War II vets passing away, no longer able to tell their stories. Our job is to carry that story. We need to preserve this history to pass it on to the next generation" Lenches said.
The nonprofit organization is seeking to raise $12,700, the estimated cost to repair the units.
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