Dates: 1941-2017.
The Records of the Korean War National Museum include printed materials, correspondence, memoirs, military personnel records, and other items concerning the service-related experiences of the men and women who served in the U.S. armed forces during the Korean War, from 1950 to 1953.
Size: 11.2 linear feet (approximately 22,400 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: Records created by employees of the U.S. Government during the course of their duties are in the public domain. The copyright interest in other records in the collection presumably belongs to the creators of the records, or to their heirs.
Processed by: David Clark, Laurie Austin, and Randy Sowell (2020-2026).
[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]
The Korean War Veterans National Museum and Library—later known as the Korean War National Museum (KWNM)—was organized in Atwood, Illinois in 1997. Originally, its offices were located in Tuscola, Illinois and (later) in Rantoul, Illinois. In 2009, the organization opened a new museum in Springfield, Illinois. The KWNM received papers, artifacts, and audiovisual items relating to the Korean War from veterans of the conflict and other donors. The museum closed in 2017, and its collections were obtained by the Harry S. Truman Library Institute for National and International Affairs. In 2018, the Institute donated these materials to the Harry S. Truman Library.
The Records of the Korean War National Museum (KWNM) include printed materials, correspondence, memoirs, military personnel records, and other items concerning the service-related experiences of the men and women who served in the U.S. armed forces during the Korean War, from 1950 to 1953.
The records are arranged alphabetically in a single series. Many of the records are filed under the names of the persons who donated them, or the names of the veterans whose service they document. The printed materials, which comprise most of the collection, include military manuals pertaining to such topics as weapons, enemy interrogation methods, military symbols, and criminal investigations; propaganda leaflets and booklets produced by both sides in the war; comic books about the Korean War that were published during or soon after the conflict; newspaper articles; newsletters relating to the early history of the KWNM; and Christmas cards. The correspondence in the collection includes letters exchanged between military personnel in the Korean theater and their relatives in the United States. The collection also contains memoirs written by Korean War veterans, military personnel records relating to their service, administrative records documenting the activities of the KWNM, certificates, drawings, and transcripts of interviews with veterans.
The KWNM staff wrote unique accession numbers on many of the donated items. For example, the accession number "2011.042.002" identified this as the 42nd donation received in 2011, and further identified it as the second item within the donation. The Truman Library has the KWNM acquisition files, which contain additional information about the materials that were donated.
Photographs and other audiovisual materials from the KWNM Records were transferred to the Truman Library’s audiovisual collection. Selected artifacts were transferred to the Library’s museum collection.
Related collections at the Truman Library include the papers of Kenneth H. Ashworth, Robert Belmonte, Holden Johnson, and Thomas B. Long. The papers of these four Korean War veterans were also collected by the KWNM, and were subsequently acquired by the Truman Library Institute and donated to the Truman Library. Other materials relating to the experiences of military personnel during the Korean War can be found at the Truman Library in the Korean War Collection, the Records of the Center for the Study of the Korean War, and the papers of Rex W. Edwards, Edward B. LeMaster, and Fred G. McCormick.
| Container Nos. | Series | |
| 1-28 | SUBJECT FILE, 1941-2017 Printed materials, correspondence, memoirs, military personnel records, and other items concerning the service-related experiences of the men and women who served in the U.S. armed forces during the Korean War, from 1950 to 1953. Arranged alphabetically by folder title. |
SUBJECT FILE, 1941-2017
Box 1
- Adinolfi, James
- Anderson, Harold J.
- Anderson, Loren E.
- Arensman, Virgil W.
- Arnold, Ron
- Baird, Hugh
- Baker, Lynn W.
- Ballow, J. E. "Buck"
- Barnum, Robert
- Bauer, Fred J.
- Beck, Jacob W.
- Bell, Holland
- Bell, Richard
- Benfold, Edward C.
- Bennett, Ron
- Berlo, John
- Blagg, Jim
- Blaesing, Donald
- Blaisdell, Russell
- Blundi, Vince
Box 2
- Board Minutes, 1997-2001
- Bodie, Richard
- Boulware, Richard D.
- Bowman, Donald
- Bradley, Morris
- Bragg, Charles
- Brammer, Billy
- Brower, William
- Bryant, William H.
- Buchanan, Gordon
- Buchino, Ray
- Cahoon, Lancy
- Carrico, Robert
- Carter, Ralph E.
- Cartoons
- Catchings, John Allan
- Chach, William
- Christmas Cards
- Clark, Ron A.
- Coe, Edward H.
- Cole, Charley
Box 3
- Coleman, Leonard
- Colfer, Robert
- Comic Books—"The American Air Forces"
- Comic Books—"Atom-Age Combat"
- Comic Books—"Atomic Attack"
- Comic Books—"Atomic War!"
- Comic Books—"Attack!"
- Comic Books—"Battle" [1 of 3]
- Comic Books—"Battle" [2 of 3]
- Comic Books—"Battle" [3 of 3]
- Comic Books—"Battle Action" [1 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Battle Action" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Battle Attack"
Box 4
- Comic Books—"Battle Brady"
- Comic Books—"Battle Cry" [1 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Battle Cry" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Battle Fire"
- Comic Books—"Battle-Ground"
- Comic Books—"Battle Report"
- Comic Books—"Battle Squadron"
- Comic Books—"Battle Stories"
- Comic Books—"Battlefield"
- Comic Books—"Battlefront" [1 of 2]
Box 5
- Comic Books—"Battlefront" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Bill Battle"
- Comic Books—"Captain Jet"
- Comic Books—"Captain Marvel Jr."
- Comic Books—"Captain Steve Savage" [1 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Captain Steve Savage" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Combat"
- Comic Books—"Combat Casey"
- Comic Books—"Combat Kelly" [1 of 3]
Box 6
- Comic Books—"Combat Kelly" [2 of 3]
- Comic Books—"Combat Kelly" [3 of 3]
- Comic Books—"Commando Adventures"
- Comic Books—Cover Art
- Comic Books—"Devil-Dog Dugan"
- Comic Books—"Dynamite Joe"
- Comic Books—"Ensign O'Toole"
- Comic Books—"Exciting War"
- Comic Books—"Fight Comics"
- Comic Books—"Fightin' Marines" [1 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Fightin' Marines" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Fighting Fronts"
Box 7
- Comic Books—"Fighting Leathernecks"
- Comic Books—"The Fighting Man"
- Comic Books—"Fighting Undersea Commandos"
- Comic Books—"Fighting War Stories"
- Comic Books—"Foxhole"
- Comic Books—"Frontline Combat" [1 of 4]
- Comic Books—"Frontline Combat" [2 of 4]
- Comic Books—"Frontline Combat" [3 of 4]
- Comic Books—"Frontline Combat" [4 of 4]
Box 8
- Comic Books—"G.I. Combat" [1 of 4]
- Comic Books—"G.I. Combat" [2 of 4]
- Comic Books—"G.I. Combat" [3 of 4]
- Comic Books—"G.I. Combat" [4 of 4]
- Comic Books—"G.I. in Battle" [1 of 2]
- Comic Books—"G.I. in Battle" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"G.I. Joe" [1 of 5]
Box 9
- Comic Books—"G.I. Joe" [2 of 5]
- Comic Books—"G.I. Joe" [3 of 5]
- Comic Books—"G.I. Joe" [4 of 5]
- Comic Books—"G.I. Joe" [5 of 5]
- Comic Books—"G.I. Tales"
- Comic Books—"The Haunt of Fear"
- Comic Books—"Heroic Comics" [1 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Heroic Comics" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Jet Aces"
Box 10
- Comic Books—"Jet Fighters"
- Comic Books—"Joe Yank" [1 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Joe Yank" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Kent Blake of the Secret Service"
- Comic Books—"Man Comics"
- Comic Books—"Marines at War"
- Comic Books—"Marines in Action" [1 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Marines in Action" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Marines in Battle" [1 of 2]
Box 11
- Comic Books—"Marines in Battle" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Men in Action" [1 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Men in Action" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Men’s Adventures" [1 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Men’s Adventures" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"Monty Hall of the U.S. Marines"
- Comic Books—"Navy Action"
- Comic Books—"Navy Patrol"
- Comic Books—"Navy Task Force"
- Comic Books—"Never Again"
- Comic Books—"Operation: Peril"
- Comic Books—"Our Army at War"
- Comic Books—"Rangers"
Box 12
- Comic Books—"Soldier Comics"
- Comic Books—"Soldier and Marine Comics"
- Comic Books—"Soldiers of Fortune"
- Comic Books—"Spy Cases"
- Comic Books—"Spy-Hunters"
- Comic Books—"Star Spangled War Stories"
- Comic Books—"Strange Worlds"
- Comic Books—"Tell It to the Marines"
- Comic Books—"Terry and the Pirates"
- Comic Books—"This is War"
- Comic Books—"True War Experiences"
- Comic Books—"Two-Fisted Tales" [1 of 2]
Box 13
- Comic Books—"Two-Fisted Tales" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"U.S. Air Force"
- Comic Books—"U.S. Fighting Air Force"
- Comic Books—"U.S. Paratroops"
- Comic Books—"U.S. Tank Commandos"
- Comic Books—"War Action" [1 of 2]
- Comic Books—"War Action" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"War Adventures"
Box 14
- Comic Books—"War Battles"
- Comic Books—"War Birds"
- Comic Books—"War Combat"
- Comic Books—"War Comics" [1 of 2]
- Comic Books—"War Comics" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"War Fury"
- Comic Books—"War Heroes" [1 of 2]
- Comic Books—"War Heroes" [2 of 2]
- Comic Books—"War Report"
- Comic Books—"War Stories"
- Comic Books—"War-Dogs of the U.S. Army"
- Comic Books—"Warfront" [1 of 4]
Box 15
- Comic Books—"Warfront" [2 of 4]
- Comic Books—"Warfront" [3 of 4]
- Comic Books—"Warfront" [4 of 4]
- Comic Books—"Wings Comics"
- Comic Books—"Yanks in Battle"
- Comic Books—"Young Men on the Battlefield!"
- Compton, Tom
- Cook, John A.
- Coon, Harley
- Corazza, Leo
- Crask, Jonathan
- Curtiss, G. S.
- Curzon, George
- Davis, Joel
Box 16
- Davis, W. J.
- Dean, Jack
- Defense Department Casualty Lists, 1950-1951 [mostly casualties from Illinois]
- Defense Department Casualty Lists, 1951 [mostly casualties from Illinois]
- Defense Department Casualty Lists, 1951-1953 [mostly casualties from Illinois]
- DeLong, Kenneth
- Deppe, Gerald
- Diller, Eric
- Donnelly, Lenore
- Donner, Donald [1 of 2]
Box 17
- Donner, Donald [2 of 2]
- Dorsey, Lynn
- Dwyer, Patrick
- Edwards, Archie
- Elschlager, Ruel [1 of 2]
- Elschlager, Ruel [2 of 2]
- England, Thomas
- Evans, James
- Fernandez, David
- Follick, William T.
- Forgotten Soldiers From Our Forgotten War by Frank Farrell [letters written by Edward F. Hines, James P. Cumiskey, and others]
- 437th Troop Carrier Wing
- France, Bill
- Frasier, Howard
- Gerdes, Vernon
- Gibson, Ralph
- Gluckman, Leroy
Box 18
- Gould, Gene
- Graefmitz, William
- Gray, Charles V.
- Greenberg, Martin
- Grine, Kenneth
- Grogan, Stanley, Jr.
- Gross, Frank
- Gwaltney, Bob
- Hall, Curtis
- Hammond, Bob
- Hannagan, Herbert
- Hansen, Arnold
- Hawkins, Alfred
- Hay, William W.
- Hess, Joseph
- Hilsenhoff, Bob
- Hochstedler, Ancle
- Holevoet, Arthur
- Holley, Glen
- Holliday, Sam
- Holtke, James
- Howser, Richard
- Hunstable, Raymond
- Hussey, John
- Jameson, Robert
Box 19
- Jeruchim, Simon
- Jeschawitz, Carl
- Jividen, Fred E.
- Johnson, Billy E.
- Jones, Willard M.
- Jordan, William
- Kampner, Godfrey
- Kapaun, Emil
- Keifer, Walter
- Kember, Dale
- Kennedy, Dail W.
- Kenney, Daniel
- Kleinschmidt, Erwin W.
- Klocksieben, Robert
- Kogut, Casimir
- Konyn, Jerome
- Ladner, Milbert
- Lang, William
- Lee, Hershall
- Leibecke, Robert
- Leising, Norbert
- Lewis, Francis "Grady"
Box 20
- Litts, Robert
- Lowe, Jack
- Mahannah, Rex
- Marlett, Joseph
- Marman, Betty
- Marnoy, Sherwood
- Marschke, Otto
- Martinez, Jose L.
- Martinez, Jose L.
- Matuschka, Ernest
- Melcher, Ralph
- Mendes, Jonathan
- Menefee, W. R.
- Miles, Clifford
- Military Manuals [1 of 14]
- Military Manuals [2 of 14]
Box 21
- Military Manuals [3 of 14]
- Military Manuals [4 of 14]
- Military Manuals [5 of 14]
- Military Manuals [6 of 14]
- Military Manuals [7 of 14]
Box 22
- Military Manuals [8 of 14]
- Military Manuals [9 of 14]
- Military Manuals [10 of 14]
- Military Manuals [11 of 14]
- Military Manuals [12 of 14]
- Military Manuals [13 of 14]
- Military Manuals [14 of 14]
Box 23
- Millar, Don
- Miscellaneous Materials
- Mitchell, Alfred
- Moberly, Glenn
- Moldroski, Dick
- Moore, Herman, Jr.
- Morrison, Julian
- Morton, Orville
- Neale, Herbert
- Newsletters and General Information: Korean War Veterans National Museum and Library
- Nichols, Lynn
- Nicosia, Robert J.
- Nolda, Wilbur
- Obley, William
- O’Morrissey, William
- Ondrish, Bob
- Our First Year in Korea: Accounts by the Historical Branch, G-3, Headquarters Marine Corps
- Page, Kenneth E.
Box 24
- Palumbo Brothers
- Papakee, Clyde
- Parks, Lee
- Parsons, Livingston
- Paschelke, Alfred
- Peoples, Joseph
- Pereira, Joseph
- Petoskey, Cyrillus
- Phelan, George W.
- Phelps, Paul
- Phillips, Charles
- Porter, Don
- Porter, H. H.
- Potter, Ira
- Printed Materials [1 of 3]
- Printed Materials [2 of 3]
- Printed Materials [3 of 3]
Box 25
- Propaganda [1 of 2]
- Propaganda [2 of 2]
- Rasmussen, Jerome
- Ratcliffe, Jefferson
- Richman, Victor
- Rinehart, Robert
- Roper, Willis
- Sandroni, Robert
- Schneider, Al
- Scott, Charles
- Shea, John M.
- Shelden, Robert
- Simpson, Donald
- Sims, Merle
Box 26
- Smith, Billy [1 of 2]
- Smith, Billy [2 of 2]
- Snoke, Charles
- Spiroff, Boris Robert [includes information about the OSS in the Balkans during World War II]
- Stasek,Timothy
- Stenberg, William
- Stiles, Raymond
- Struthers, Norman
- Susca, Vito
- Sweat, Lester
- Talley, Kenneth [1 of 2]
Box 27
- Talley, Kenneth [2 of 2]
- Teike, Donald R.
- Terrill, Alan J.
- Thanksgiving Dinner
- Thomas, Donald M.
- Thompson, Bobby
- Thune, Richard
- Tucker, Gilbert
- U.S.N.S. Private Joe P. Martinez [and James E. Long, U.S. Navy]
- Upton, Ralph
- Van Camp, Rex
- Visitors Log Book, 2010-2013
- Wagner, Ernestine
- Wagner, Richard
- Wagner, William R.
- Walker, Kenneth
- Wehrley, Doren
- Weiss, Seymour
Box 28
- Wensley, Robert
- White, James
- Willits, Robert
- Worthington, Hood, Jr.
- Wysocke, Dick
- Zielke, Edward