Dedicated to the memory of the early U.S. Army aviators who launched aircraft for the first time in a combat scenario, when they flew missions during the "Punitive Expedition" into Mexico in response to the raid by Pancho Villa into Columbus, which killed some 18 people, including innocent villagers. This piece of local history has caused Columbus, NM, to be known as the "Cradle of American Air Power."

To obtain and restore the land used by the First Aero Squadron during 1916 and 1917 and erect a museum, not only in memory of those early pioneering airman, but also as a means of bringing more tourists and visitors to Columbus and Deming and, in that process, help develop a new enthusiasm for U.S. History among the local Elementary, High School and College students, and to also arouse their interest in the field of aviation itself.