CAMP BLANDING — ard work and the will to preserve history fueled a team of community members who recently restored a historic World War II plane at the Camp Blanding Museum. 

For about a week, Steve Rodriguez and his team of painters at Steve's Painting joined forces to freshen up the Douglas C-47 Skytrain. The military transport aircraft, and others like it, were used by the Allies during the war to transport troops, haul cargo, two gliders and drop paratroopers, according to Britannica.

There were more than 10,000 built, with the first flight taking place in December 1941.

The single plane, rooted at Camp Blanding, was delivered from Alabama in the 90s. It came in three parts —two wings and a fuselage. Over time, the plane faced deteriorating conditions.

"The plane's [been] sitting here for a long time. Once we planned and everything, it was in terrible shape. And to get it to this point, at least, was a big project," Rodriguez said. 

In addition to cleaning and repainting the exterior, Rodriguez said they were also able to redesign a few intricate details on the plane itself, including its signature star and stripes. 

According to World War Wings, the white stripes and two black bands were designed to identify aircraft amid the chaos of war. The stripes were painted both on top and underneath the plane so that they could be easily viewed from either position.

Rodriguez said with research and photos, he was also able to color-match, so the plane looks similar to what it did back then. They also painted the front to resemble a working engine.

"We could see inside and where the pilot and the copilot sat. It was really tight with all the gauges. So, it was pretty neat," Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez said he couldn't believe the amount of traction the project brought.

"You'd be surprised at how many people come through here, towards the weekends, and bring the kids and all that. We had people who wanted to go inside. We had people who wanted to know if the motor still worked."

A joint effort spearheaded by the museum and local Kingsley Lake resident Herb Sellers got the project going. Sellers' father was an Army paratrooper who jumped from the same type of plane on D-Day in 1944. When he saw its deteriorating state, he knew he had to find a way to help.

He said his father was instrumental in getting the plane to Clay County. Sellers said he remembers the day he saw the plane come in.

"I was amazed. Like, wow, that's a big airplane. It was really something else," Sellers said.

As a final touch, Sellers said he plans to work with the museum to add a snippet of an original audio recording his father made during the war. He said this will help others to know more about the plane's history. 

The Camp Blanding Museum is at 5629 State Road 16 W.