How the B-52 Bomber Is Coming Back From the Dead It isn't that uncommon for older military hardware to return to service after being mothballed or sent out to the not-so proverbial pasture. Here's What You Need to Remember: Despite the facility's name, aircraft sent to the Boneyard don't actually slowly return to the ground from which they came. Rather the aircraft are monitored and maintained accordingly. There have been plenty of films – many that star Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger – that tell of a retired and aging veteran called back to military service, yet in reality, it probably doesn't happen all that much. However, it isn't that uncommon for older military hardware to return to service after being mothballed or sent out to the not-so proverbial pasture.