ABOUT OUR COLLECTION
Our Collection is a singular repository that brings to life the firsthand experiences of America’s servicewomen with photographs, correspondence, military documents, newsletters, scrapbooks and diaries, uniforms, quilts, flags, objects such as medals, insignia, souvenirs, sports equipment, and audiovisual materials including film footage from World War II to recordings of women’s military music ensembles. We also house the institutional history of the Military Women’s Memorial—the first major national memorial to honor all servicewomen, past and present.
The Military Women’s Memorial Collection, formally established in 1994, houses some 8,000 donations from thousands of servicewomen, veterans, and their families and friends representing all eras and services as well as uniformed civilian women working with organizations supporting the military such as the American Red Cross, USO, YMCA and Salvation Army.
Search our online Collections portal and submit research requests to our Collections team.
VISIT OUR COLLECTION
The Military Women’s Memorial welcomes inquiries about possible donations of items relating to military women’s service in and with the U.S. Armed Forces. We consider items such as books, manuscripts, oral histories, audiovisual recordings, uniforms and other textiles, firsthand accounts documented in correspondence, scrapbooks, diaries, photographs, and objects such as memorabilia, awards/medals, or other items relating to an individual’s time in service. All inquiries are evaluated in accordance with our Collections Management Policy, with respect to the Military Women’s Memorial mission, resources, facilities, and ongoing initiatives.
Read more about how the Military Women’s Memorial uses the Collection to tell the stories of women’s service to the nation here.
Learn more about general considerations for donating items to a repository like ours, here.
DISCOVER HERSTORY
The History of the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier Exhibit
To commemorate the Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in 2021, the Military Women’s...
Donuts: Food of the Frontline
Do you know that donuts were used as a morale booster for the military throughout the 20th...
Behind the brooch: After today, you’ll never see women veterans the same way again
Behind the brooch: After today, you’ll never see women veterans the same way againWhen you think...