New member - longtime collector needing help with museum project (if it is appropriate).

[Unutt]

I have collected militaria since I was a kid  living overseas.  Most of it came and went over the years, but I still have a decent collection of 98K bayonets (~350).

 

I am on the board of directors for a small local museum and have been assigned the project of creating an exhibit of a myriad of  relics and uniforms that have been donated to the museum by local families.  Most of the uniforms I can identify based on the short histories that were provided with them but some I cannot, and some I am sure are not identified correctly.  There are about 30 uniforms, most from WWII, a few from 50s and 60s.  Most include very few decorations, some include full ribbon bars, rank, and other markings.

 

My plan is to display at least one uniform from each family that donated, and several in the event one soldier donated several interesting examples.  For example, the executor of one USAF Lt.Col's estate appears to have emptied all the uniforms from the colonels closet.  Examples include his flight suits, normal blue dress uniforms, 60s era fatigues, black and white mess dress uniforms with visor cap.  One soldier served on a submarine during WWII, left the service in 46, went to college, returned to service in 1950, apparently as an officer, served in Korea and retired in 1960 as a major.

 

Anyway, I am planning to include a short history with each display (16 or 17 uniforms and a mountain of relics) with each uniform.  It would be nice to know as much as possible about their service (one gentlemans uniforms have a star with indian head shoulder patches).

 

If it is appropriate, I would like to post pix of each uniform to get some feedback/history about them.  In almost all cases, I have the soldiers name.

 

My American relics include two M1 helmets with fixed bales, basically intact.  I have my father's helmet that was issued to him at Ramstein in 1968, a nice bayonet for a Springfield trapdoor, and a few other items.

 

Mike

[mvmhm]

I'm willing to help.

 

Mark sends

[Rakkasan187]

Mike,

 

 Welcome to the forum,, I am in far West Texas and am willing to assist

 

Best regards

 

Leigh 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

This may not be exactly 100% on the mark, but the US Library of Congress has a list of ~50 questions that would be answered as people interview veterans:

https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/veterans-history-project/documents/sample-interview-questions.pdf

 

I know you’re not actually interviewing the veterans themselves but probably relatives or friends, however, several of the questions about where the service member was trained, where he/she served, what awards and decorations were earned; are still very pertinent. Use these questions as you see fit. And welcome to this Forum!

[Unutt]

Thanx,  in most cases we are two generations out.  Many of the uniforms were donated 25 and 30 years ago and stored in homes that were not occupied.  Some item descriptions were actual guesses.  If I get the chance to interview family members I will certainly do so.