Mineral Wells is continuing to assess what was lost after an EF-3 tornado tore through the city, but the damage goes far beyond homes and businesses. Parts of the city’s deep military history have been damaged or destroyed, including historic aircraft and memorials honoring those who served. At the National Vietnam War Museum, the storm left a visible and emotional impact. Ean Tillett, the museum’s executive director, says the destruction is difficult to process. “Especially with a job centered around preserving history, it’s hard to see,” Tillett said. The tornado damaged multiple historic helicopters on display. One was even ripped from its frame and thrown hundreds of feet. “It ripped it off the airframe, flung it about 600 feet,” Tillett said. The museum’s memorial garden was also torn apart, leaving what remains scattered among debris. “We can always replant and we can always rebuild, but it hurts,” he said. For Tillett, the loss goes beyond physical items. “Having met most of these people, or having met the people who’ve survived the people that planted it, it’s kind of tough to understand, tough to confront,” he said. But the damage stretches beyond the museum grounds. About a mile away sits what was once Fort Wolters, formerly Camp Wolters, a key training site during the Vietnam War where nearly every U.S. Army helicopter pilot trained before deploying overseas. Now, much of that historic landscape has also been heavily damaged. A memorial to Medal of Honor recipients from the area is now part of the city’s long road to recovery. For those working to preserve that legacy, the mission has shifted. Plans to improve the museum are now on hold as resources are redirected toward repairs. “So we were putting money back into property improvements, so now we have to shift from property improvements to repairs,” Tillett said. For a city so deeply tied to its military past, the storm didn’t just leave physical destruction, it struck at its identity. Now, the focus turns to saving what remains and rebuilding the history that defines Mineral Wells. ...read more read less