Pilot gear, helmets, and uniforms are a unique visual product to the new era of flight that has taken over the modern age, especially within the Military. The Gentex HGU-55/P Helmet has been a standard choice within the Air F orce and Navy for decades since 1980. It has been chosen as the primary helmet for Military pilots for a number of reasons that make it remarkable. The visor has a bungee visor system that helps the vision of the pilot by being tinted. It includes integr

This week we will be taking a look into one of our newer collection items and at our new exhibit here at the museum. THe BPH-2 Helmet is a part of a new collection that shows the impact and history of service. This particular BPH-2 Helmet was used primarily in 1965 and 1966, Its coloring and engraving is unique to its own. This helmet was designed for aircrews for patrol, transport, and reconnaissance missions, essentially for non fighter or non high performing fighter jets.

The Army Air Corps during World War 2 found many different types of personalities, strong-willed persons, and people willing to fight for freedom in the extreme. Harold and Phyllis Caskey was one of these people,, and they found love and commitment within it. Phyllis Caskey grew up in Minden, Iowa, and decided she would be a nurse one day. After high school she attended Jennie Edmundson School of Nursing. She graduated in 1943 and joined the Army Air Corps as a nurse in the s

With a new season coming in bloom, we have new exhibits coming up here at the Arkansas Air and Military Museum. In building three, our curator, John Townsend, did a new display on the Japanese Pacific Theater of World War II. On display in that case is a Japanese officer's field hat, which we will be covering this week in our artifact Friday. A Japanese officer's field hat, also called a Ryaku-bou, was a standard cloth hat used by officers in the Japanese Imperial Army and Na

This Friday, we are talking about the Saudi Arabia and Kuwait Liberation Medals that were awarded to coalition force members who served during Operation Desert Storm. A service member is eligible for this award if they served in direct support of Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, parts of the Arabian Sea, or Gulf of Aden. Service members could also be considered if they served on the landmasses of Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, and the Unite

Women have been an overlooked part of military history for as long as there has been military history. Women have served in many honorable positions that have often been overlooked that women's history month allows us to commemorate. In honor of the first week of this special month, we are talking about Melva H. King and the Woman Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). Melva H. King was born in Propherton, Illinois, and World War II was in full swing when she was

This week, we talk about crush caps, which were popular in World War II in the U.S. Army Air Forces. Crush caps, also known as the 50 mission crush, were a signifier of not just service but of experience. The crush cap came into existence from the need for modifications to the standard rigid officers' hat. With bomber pilots and aircrews using headsets, many difficulties arose with the rigid hat, and the stiffeners had to be removed to create a more crushed, floppy look for h

Morse code is a long taught language throughout the US military. It was crucial during times of hidden communication behind enemy lines, tenuous moments, and even through cameras. A blinker light trainer from World War II, also known as a code pocket trainer, was a lightweight Morse code trainer. Here in our collection, this Morse code pocket trainer was a small, lightweight, cardboard Morse code trainer that was portable and made learning Morse code easier for U.S. Navy pers

Valentine's Day mementos!

This month we celebrate February as black history month and commemorate black veterans and current servicemen and women for their service and dedication to this country. Not only do we celebrate their service but the barriers that they broke and the progress they brought about into making this country a more tolerant and respectful place. This week we will be looking at commemorative artwork and patches dedicated to the Tuskegee Airmen and Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester. The artw

War Crimes are generally defined by how much unnecessary suffering an action causes, as we’ve discussed in the past. Today we are addressing a war crime that results from a lack of action, shooting parachutes. Parachutes were invented in 1783 France, long before the first airplane. Since their inception, parachutes have been used for dropping people and things onto places and targets. As a result, this purpose has changed very little throughout history.              The tacti

A good meal can put us all in a better mood and give us the energy we need to get through our day. What we eat is important to all of us and can dictate how we feel, act, and live our lives. This week's Artifact Friday is dedicated to the MRE (meal ready to eat) that we have displayed showing the different eras and types of MRE’s in our collection. Before the MRE there were canned rations, AKA C-rations. In the 1960s the Department of Defense started trying to improve to some