MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- Frozen in time, three aircraft rest at their final duty station, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. They stand as gray, winged sentries to the commissary complex – stoic reminders of wars long past.

No pilots and no crews attend to the C-117D “Sky Train,” C-54 “Sky master” and C-119 “Flying Boxcar,” but if the aged aircraft could speak for themselves they would tell stories of carrying troops and their gear to the snowy hills of Korea and the swampy battles of Vietnam. Instead, humble plaques tell the briefest of tales for these retired troop carrier aircraft.

But for Marines like retired Gunnery Sgt. Greg Brewer, seeing the C-117 parked here brings back memories of the aircraft’s days as top of line equipment.

“I worked on the C-117 in 1974 at MCAS Quantico, Va.,” said Brewer. “At the time, these were the state of the art aircraft, in the Marine Corps inventory.

Most Marines who work on aircraft can actually get attached emotionally,” added Brewer. “That is definitely the case with the C-117 and me.”

Miramar’s retired C-117 happens to be the last C-117D to take to the air. It left MCAS Iwakuni, Japan in June of 1982 to land here where it remained as a reminder of the end of an era in Marine Corps aviation.

Nearby, another ally in the transporting of American troops across the sea is the C-54 “Skymaster.” The plane, like the C-117D, was a Douglas product designed to carry up to 42 passengers. The aircraft originally went into service in the U.S. military in 1942 and was known for its reliability in getting troops across the rough seas of the north Atlantic. A modified version of the aircraft serviced the White House press corps, making it the first presidential aircraft.

The odd duck of the trio is the Fairchild-developed C-119 “Boxcar,” first built in 1947 as a transport aircraft specifically designed to carry cargo, injured personnel, and mechanized equipment. The unusual appearance of the aircraft does not take away from its capabilities in transporting troops and gear and as such the craft was used extensively during the Korean War.

While encyclopedias and aviation historians may commit to memory the creation, construction, use, and eventual retirement of these aircraft, for Marine spouse, Cecillia Berger and her 23-month-old son, Corbin, the planes bring much simpler pleasure. The two stop to see the aircraft almost every time they go shopping.

“My son enjoys the aircraft,” Berger said, as her son ran around the planes in amusement. “Whenever we have the chance we stop here.”

The planes, once used as troop transport planes many years ago now provide a visual guide through a portion of military. Now service members and visitors of the air station have the opportunity to stop and take a look at three silent reminders of generations past in Marine Corps’ aviation.