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Cold War-era fighter jet finds a permanent home at the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa

The F-84G Thunderjet completes the museum's collection of Korean War memorabilia.

NAMPA, Idaho — After a big war and decades of intercontinental travel, a rare jet known as the F-84G Thunderjet, finally found a permanent home at Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa.

But it wasn't in one piece when it arrived.

The Thunderjet was assembled on Tuesday by a Warhawk engineer and a handful of volunteers.

The museum's co-founders, John and Sue Paul, ordered the Thunderjet and had it shipped to their museum all the way from Norway, where it rested in a park for many years after being purchased by the Norwegian Air Force.

Before that, the F-84 was in Sweden's possession. Go back further in time, and you would have seen the Thunderjet lighting up the sky overseas during the Korean War.

But now, the jet has found its final resting place in Nampa.

While the Thunderjet has a grand history, the museum co-founder Sue Paul said that it's not all about the machine, but rather, the people that built and operated it.

"These [jets] are incredible symbols of what we had, the power we had, and the ingenuity we had in this country," she said. "No nation in the world has been able to do what we have done with the aircraft technology that we have developed over many years."

Paul doesn't want to tell the story of the items on display - she wants to tell the story of the people who sacrificed their lives for their country.

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The addition of the F-84 Thunderjet to the Warhawk Air Museum's collection is the final piece to their Cold War-era display, but the co-founders are looking to expand their museum.

The museum is asking for donations to tell the stories of the men and women who served post-9/11.

Anyone interested in donating can visit the Warhawk Air Museum's website.

MORE: Air Force Academy superintendent celebrates Founders Day at Nampa's Warhawk Air Museum

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