Ghosts of the Battlefield Collection

Museum Collection: The Legacy of Seaman First Class Edwin H. Duke

Seaman First Class Edwin H. Duke was a Seabee whose service stretched from the icy Aleutians to the black sands of Iwo Jima. His uniform tells the story of builders who fought under fire, carving runways and bases that helped secure Allied victory in the

From the Collection

Artifact Highlight: The Chinese Type 53 Carbine

In the jungles of Vietnam, before the crackle of AK-47 fire became the anthem of war, another weapon spoke in a harsher, older tongue.

From the Collection

The Faith and Face of Service: Remembering Gunnery Sergeant Donal Gilbert

On display are the personal effects of WWII Marine Gunnery Sergeant Donal Gilbert—his watch, dog tags, and Catholic medals. These humble items tell a powerful story of faith, duty, and the quiet strength behind one man’s service in war.

From the Collection

Signed “Good Luck Flag” – 寄せ書き日の丸 (Yosegaki Hinomaru)

Eevery brushstroke carries the weight of a nation at war. This yosegaki hinomaru, signed for soldier Toshio Yoshikawa and carried home by Sgt. Lynn Hazelbaker, speaks with the voices of both Japan’s farewell and America’s victory.

From the Collection

Museum Collection: The M29C 81mm Mortar: Instant Thunder from the Sky

The M29 series became the backbone of U.S. infantry fire support, but it was the M29C variant that saw its heaviest use in the jungles, rice paddies, and firebases of the Vietnam War. Designed to be portable yet devastating.

From the Collection

Museum Collection Artifact: XM177E2 “Colt Commando” Carbine (Model 629)

Much like the famed Fairbairn-Sykes dagger of WWII commandos, or the Thompson submachine gun of paratroopers, the Commando embodied a spirit of daring. To see it slung across a soldier’s chest was to know he was no ordinary infantryman.

From the Collection

Blade of the Brown Water War: A SEAL’s Mk2 Fighting Knife

Wrapped in tape, scarred with rust, and strapped with flares, this Mk2 knife isn’t just an artifact—it’s a survivor of the Mekong. Carried by a U.S. Navy SEAL in Vietnam, it speaks to the brutal, close-quarters fight waged in the rivers and jungles.