The Archives

The Center is nationally recognized as the definitive Korean War archive — specializing in preservation and documentation, providing primary-source information as well as current research topics for today’s military leaders, scholars, students, and the general public.

Currently the Center collection and library contains more that 1600 linear feet of documents, thousands of war and war area photographs, books, maps, letters, diaries, journals, military orders, videos, DVDs, films and many other items.

The collection houses:

• Letters:
  • From and to individuals who served in Korea during the period of the war, or the guarding of the DMZ
  • Official letters from and to the civilian aspects of government and military leaders
  • Letters from officers to their commands
  • Letters dealing with the official business of the military, including communications with civilians concerning the wounding, missing, or death of loved ones
• Documents:
  • Travel orders
  • Promotion and demotion orders
  • Change of assignment and TDY Orders
  • Command orders
  • Certificates of authorization
• Personal Histories:
  • Individual personal histories of more than 300 military personnel
  • Memoirs written after the war about experiences in Korea
  • Diaries and journals kept during the war
• Oral Histories:
  • Tapes of oral interviews with veterans
  • Memoirs recorded on tape
  • Participant partners with the Library of Congress on the Veterans Oral History Project
• Maps:
  • Flight maps
  • Sectional maps
  • Observer maps
  • Target maps
• Posters:
  • Posters issued at all phases of the Korean War, as well as commemorative posters
  • Propaganda materials dropped by both the United Nations and the Communist Forces