“Gee!! I wish I were a man, I’d join the Navy” 1917 recruiting poster by Howard Chandler Christy This week we will be looking at an iconic piece of recruiting history from World War I, a poster that brought not just patriotism but challenged gender roles. The 1917 “Gee!! I wish I were a man, I’d join the Navy” is a classic and early representation of recruiting history for the U.S. Navy. Howard Chandler Christy was the artist that created this poster and at the bottom of the

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.

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

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

Well, here’s to another rabbit trail! Happy Artifact Friday everyone. This week, we are covering the Franklin O-805-2. This is one of the...

This Friday, we are highlighting one of our trainer jets! North American was made famous with its P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft, and it...

This is our last blog post of 2023! Today we are talking about our Piper Cub which is designated by the US Navy as an NE-1. The Piper Cub...

Happy Black Friday everyone! It is the day when Americans find great deals on store items nationwide! So in honor of the deals of the...