The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Airforce Base, also known as the boneyard, celebrated 70 years on Monday afternoon.
At a military ceremony, dignitaries pointed out the boneyard's legacy that it keeps the old warplanes in condition just in case they ever need to be used in a national or international emergency.
"Graveyard, junkyard. We don't like that because it's not a grave and it's not junk. The airplanes that come here, once we got them everything off of them, the American taxpayers still have some money in scrap metals that they are going to get back from those airplanes," said Rob Raine, a member of the group.
"Definitely not junk when they get here, they've got valuable parts on them. Some of those airplanes can go back into flying service, so definitely not junk."
Raine said the boneyard should be considered a national treasure.
