DAYTON, Ohio — Most people who work at a museum and help preserve history will tell you that it’s a very special job.

However, what makes it even more unique is if you can see your own life and service reflected in the exhibits.

Spectrum News 1 spent time with the 2023 Volunteer of the Year at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

On any given day of the week, Jerry Mongelli is helping people understand what the museum is all about.

He’s been volunteering since 2017 and has logged more than 4,000 hours.

There are more than 400 volunteers just like Mongelli. They’re the keepers of the stories.

“You hear stories from a lot of people. I’ve seen Korean vets, my fellow Vietnam vets come through,” he said.

Mongelli served in the Air Force for 26 years.

“This is my favorite area, the fourth building, the Presidential gallery,” he said.

Mongelli worked as an Aircraft Structural Repair Specialist, and in 1981 he was hand-selected to work on the presidential airplanes.

“You kind of all of a sudden realize ‘wow, I’m now working on a presidential aircraft, and the President of the United States flies on this airplane. So, for as good as I was as a technician, I knew to take it up to the next level,” he said.

He worked on planes for President Ronald Reagan and, most notably, one of the museum’s most famous aircraft.

“It does feel surreal, it does. I can remember when I had to walk inside the airplane. We used to put slippers over our combat boots,” he said, as he walked up the plane’s stairs.

It was the first jet aircraft specifically built for the President.

“You were very careful with anything you had to repair or fix,” he said.

It is also the aircraft that returned President Kennedy’s body to Washington DC following his assassination.

“This spot kind of gives you goosebumps the first time you come into the airplane. You’re like ‘wow, I’m now standing in the airplane that Johnson was sworn in on’,” Mongelli said.

He worked on the Presidential Unit until 1988, and the plane continued to fly for seven US Presidents.

Mongelli also worked on several other planes in the museum’s gallery. 

“All of us enlisted men and women had a mechanics creed, shall I say. But to me, we only had one word, and that was integrity,” he said.

Over the years, he’s seen plenty of changes, but being at the museum brings it all full circle.

“You look all the way back there and see that real light blue uniform, that’s what us maintenance guys wore,” he said.

Sharing the stories of old uniforms and countless artifacts with his own personal touch makes all the volunteer hours worth it.

“The people here, we try to tell the next generation about this history of the aircraft and that’s kind of what this is all about. This is why I really like coming here,” he said.

Mongelli said he’s honored to be recognized as the Volunteer of the Year.

Along with being considered a uniquely qualified tour guide, he’s also one of the few who are able to conduct tours for visually impaired visitors.

Recently he spent a lot of time developing experiences for Black History Month and the Enlisted Exhibit Tour.