Military

The Museum's superb military collections document the history of the men and women of the armed forces of the United States. The collections include ordnance, firearms, and swords; uniforms and insignia; national and military flags and banners; and many other objects.

The strength of the collections lies in their enormous depth. Some 3,000 military small arms and 2,400 civilian firearms document the mechanical and technological history of the infantryman's weapons from the beginning of the gunpowder era to the present. Among the 4,000 swords and knives in the collection are many spectacular presentation pieces. The collections also include Civil War era telegraph equipment, home front artifacts from both world wars, early computers such as ENIAC, Whirlwind, and Sage, and materials carried at antiwar demonstrations.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1991-03-21
recipient
Schwarzkopf, H. Norman
author
Kramer, Ron
maker
Kramer, Ron
ID Number
2007.3066.01
nonaccession number
2007.3066
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1996
1886
used date
1885 - 1902
ID Number
ZZ.RSN80777W07
accession number
64127
The Global Positioning System (GPS) consists of NAVSTAR satellites in earth orbit that send signals to receivers on land, sea, or in the air. The system became operational in 1978.
Description
The Global Positioning System (GPS) consists of NAVSTAR satellites in earth orbit that send signals to receivers on land, sea, or in the air. The system became operational in 1978. Its military usefulness was demonstrated during Operation Desert Storm (1991), when coalition troops with receivers were able to navigate quickly and with great precision in the relatively featureless desert, thus having a significant tactical advantage over Iraqi forces. Collins Defense Communications, a subsidiary of Rockwell International, developed this GPS receiver (AN/PSN-8) for the U.S. military and delivered 1,400 units to the Department of Defense between 1988 and 1993. Although termed the "Manpack," it weighed 17 pounds and thus was often strapped to a truck or a helicopter. Each unit cost $45,000.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1988-1993
user
U.S. Department of Defense
maker
Collins Avionics & Communications Division of Rockwell International
ID Number
1997.0006.01
catalog number
1997.0006.01
accession number
1997.0006
A poster used in the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi-Equal Rights and Liberation.Currently not on view
Description
A poster used in the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi-Equal Rights and Liberation.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1993
used date
April 28, 1993
referenced
Human Rights Campaign
maker
Human Rights Campaign
ID Number
1993.0343.18
catalog number
1993.0343.18
accession number
1993.0343
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1995
maker
Israel Military Industries, Ltd.
ID Number
2012.0214.07
accession number
2012.0214
serial number
95207567
catalog number
2014.0214.07
associated dates
1990 00 00+ / 1990 00 00+, 1991 00 00- / 1991 00 00-
ID Number
1991.0377.02
catalog number
1991.0377.02
accession number
1991.0377
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1993
copyright date
1993
ID Number
1993.0423.02
accession number
1993.0423
catalog number
1993.0423.02
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1990
referenced
Bush, George, H. W.
Berrigan, Phil
ID Number
2003.0317.127
catalog number
2003.0317.127
accession number
2003.0317
President George H.W. Bush after addressing cadets at the Air Force Academy Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, Colorado, May 29, 1991.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
President George H.W. Bush after addressing cadets at the Air Force Academy Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, Colorado, May 29, 1991.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1991-05-29
depicted (sitter)
Bush, George, H. W.
maker
Walker, Diana
ID Number
2003.0250.033
catalog number
2003.0250.033
accession number
2003.0250
President George H.W. Bush and troops in Saudi Arabia, Thanksgiving, 1990.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
President George H.W. Bush and troops in Saudi Arabia, Thanksgiving, 1990.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1990-11
depicted (sitter)
Bush, George, H. W.
maker
Walker, Diana
ID Number
2003.0250.031
catalog number
2003.0250.031
accession number
2003.0250
The Reagans at Marine memorial service, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, November 4, 1993.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
The Reagans at Marine memorial service, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, November 4, 1993.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1993-11-04
depicted (sitter)
Reagan, Nancy
Reagan, Ronald Wilson
maker
Walker, Diana
ID Number
2003.0250.038
catalog number
2003.0250.038
accession number
2003.0250
President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush visiting troops in Saudi Arabia, Thanksgiving, 1990.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush visiting troops in Saudi Arabia, Thanksgiving, 1990.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1990-11
depicted (sitter)
Bush, George, H. W.
Bush, Barbara
maker
Walker, Diana
ID Number
2003.0250.032
catalog number
2003.0250.032
accession number
2003.0250
A poster used in the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi-Equal Rights and Liberation.Currently not on view
Description
A poster used in the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi-Equal Rights and Liberation.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1993
used date
April 25, 1993
ID Number
1993.0343.12
catalog number
1993.0343.12
accession number
1993.0343
A poster of Opus saluting the men and women of the United States Coast Guard who served in Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Opus, the penguin, was a Sunday cartoon created by Berkeley Breathed that ran from 2003-2008.Currently not on view
Description
A poster of Opus saluting the men and women of the United States Coast Guard who served in Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Opus, the penguin, was a Sunday cartoon created by Berkeley Breathed that ran from 2003-2008.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1991
copyright date
1991
ID Number
1992.0054.08
catalog number
1992.0054.08
accession number
1992.0054
Physical DescriptionTan and brown "chocolate chip"-pattern military jacket with one patch on both the left and right front pockets, and matching trousers.Specific History“Chocolate chip”-pattern battle dress uniform jacket and trousers worn by Specialist Melissa Rathbun-Nealy of
Description
Physical Description
Tan and brown "chocolate chip"-pattern military jacket with one patch on both the left and right front pockets, and matching trousers.
Specific History
“Chocolate chip”-pattern battle dress uniform jacket and trousers worn by Specialist Melissa Rathbun-Nealy of the 233rd Transportation Company, United States Army, during Operation Desert Storm. Specialist Rathbun-Nealy was captured by the Iraqis on January 31, 1991 and subsequently released on March 4, 1991.
associated dates
1990-1991
user
Coleman, Melissa Rathbun-Nealy
ID Number
1991.0377.01
catalog number
1991.0377.01
accession number
1991.0377
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1993
copyright date
1993
ID Number
1993.0423.01
catalog number
1993.0423.01
accession number
1993.0423
This circular slide rule describes the effects of a nuclear explosion on people. After World War II, scientists at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory prepared a report on forms of damage associated with the explosion of atomic bombs.
Description
This circular slide rule describes the effects of a nuclear explosion on people. After World War II, scientists at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory prepared a report on forms of damage associated with the explosion of atomic bombs. These included physical damage, fire and heat, and nuclear radiation.
With the development of the more powerful hydrogen bomb, physical chemist Samuel Glasstone and his associates prepared an updated report, and published it under the title The Effects of Nuclear Weapons. This information was distributed for use in planning against possible nuclear attack.
From 1962 onward, copies of The Effects of Nuclear Weapons had a pocket containing a Nuclear Bomb Effects Computer. Setting the indices on the front of the instrument for the yield of a nuclear bomb in megatons and the distance of its explosion in miles, scales on the front of the instrument describe changes in atmospheric pressure and winds associated with the blast, as well as cratering and the velocity of window glass.
Charts on the back indicate the initial nuclear radiation and the thermal radiation. Tables indicate the probable medical effects of various doses of radiation, from no illness to severe burns to death. The Nuclear Bomb Effects Computer was developed at the Lovelace Foundation in Albuqueque, New Mexico, for the United States Atomic Energy Commission.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1962
date received
1990
maker
Lovelace Foundation
ID Number
1990.0688.01
accession number
1990.0688
catalog number
1990.0688.01
Date made
1992
ID Number
1994.3051.02
catalog number
1994.3051.02
nonaccession number
1994.3051
maker number
6117

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