Military - Overview
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.
"Military - Overview" showing 2 items.
Summer WAC Jacket
- Description
- Physical Description
- Khaki-colored tropical worsted material with a rolled collar with lapels, epaulets on the shoulders, two false horizontal breast pockets with small gold-colored metallic buttons, and two side pockets over the hips. The jacket is closed by four gold-colored metallic buttons. Staff sergeant chevrons are on the upper arm of both sleeves above the elbow, the Eighth Army Air Force patch is on the left shoulder, and four overseas bars indicate two years' service overseas. All buttons have the Great Seal of the United States on the front. The collar disk on the right lapel contains the letters "U.S." denoting United States; the collar disk on the left lapel contains the wings and propeller blade of an enlisted member of the Army Air Forces. Both disks are made from gold-colored metal. Ribbons over the left breast pocket represent the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Women's Army Corps Service Medal, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.
- Specific History
- This jacket was worn by Staff Sergeant Margaret C. Frank, WAC, who was assigned to the Eighth Air Force in England as a telephone operator from 1943 to 1945.
- General History
- During World War II over 150,000 women served in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) or Women's Army Corps (WAC). Special legislation was required before the women could serve in the army. The law authorizing the WAAC was signed by President Franklin Roosevelt in May 1942 and the first WAACs began training in July 1942. Initially WAACs were only assigned to duties in the continental United States. However, when General Dwight Eisenhower requested trained secretarial, clerical, and administrative personnel, a WAAC detachment was sent to his headquarters in North Africa in early 1943. A WAAC battalion was sent to England in spring 1943 to provide similar expertise to army and air forces units gathering for the invasion of Europe.
- The status of the WAAC as an auxiliary, serving with but not in the army, was confusing and made many routine activities difficult. In mid-1943, Congress authorized the Women's Army Corps as a full-fledged army organization. All WAACs were either converted to WAC status or discharged. Women served in many jobs in addition to the secretarial, clerical, and administrative fields. They were assigned as drivers, mechanics, cooks, ordnance specialists, and radio operators; they worked in communications, logistics, public affairs, medical, intelligence, and many other specialties. They served in the United States and in all overseas theaters. Because of their exemplary record, women were made a part of the regular military establishment in 1948.
- associated date
- 1941 - 1945
- user
- Frank, Margaret C.
- ID Number
- AF*79105M
- designer number
- PQD 426
- 55-J-569-243
- accession number
- 317886
- catalog number
- 79105M
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Clark Gable's Uniform Coat and Cap
- Description
- Physical Description
- Dark olive-drab cap with gold-colored cord piping. Light olive-drab officer's coat, single-breasted with four buttons, belted. Captain's insignia on shoulders; United States and air corps insignia sewn on collar and lapel. Insignia of Eighth Air Force on left arm. The coat's label is marked in black ink, "E. ABINGTON & SONS/RUSHDEN & KIMBOLT/Capt. Clark Gable."
- Specific History
- The coat and cap were worn by actor Clark Gable.
- General History
- Clark Gable enlisted in California on August 12, 1942. He told the news media: "There is a war to win, and I consider it my right to fight." On October 27, 1942, Gable was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army Air Forces. He was issued serial number 056-5390 and transferred to Tyndall Field in Florida.
- associated date
- 1941 - 1945
- enlistment date
- 1942-08-12
- user
- Gable, Clark
- maker
- E. Abington & Sons
- ID Number
- AF*79691M
- catalog number
- 79691M
- accession number
- 321728
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center