Exhibits Archive

World War I Nurses: The Journal of Emma Elizabeth Weaver
April 6, 1917. The United States formally entered the Great War in Europe, which had engulfed the continent since 1914. Within days of America entering the war, the US military began mobilizing and civilians were called to serve. Emma Elizabeth Weaver, almost 40 years old, volunteered in February 1918 for overseas duty and, served at Base Hospital 20 in France and Base Hospital Coblenz with the Army of Occupation in Germany. During her year of service overseas, she traveled to 109 cities and towns in Great Britain, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Germany; and she kept a journal of her service. View the exhibit.

American Servicewomen in the Global War on Terror: Baghdad Diaries
Women were among the first American military members to deploy in the Global War on Terror. Unlike previous wars when snail mail and rare phone calls were used to keep in touch, in today’s war the Internet, e-mail and accessible telephone service have improved the speed and frequency of communication. Read excerpts from an e-mail dairy kept by one servicewoman who spent a year in Baghdad, Iraq. View the exhibit.

Spanish-American War
During the Spanish-American War, more than 1,500 female nurses served under contract to the Army. Twenty-one of them died in the line of duty and their service led to the permanent establishment of the Army Nurse Corps in 1901. View the exhibit.

African-American Servicewomen in the Korean War
On July 26, 1948, President Harry S Truman signed Executive Order 9981 mandating “equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.” The ambiguous language of the Order was carefully chosen. View the exhibit.

The Comfort Quilt
On Veterans Day 2004 the public got its first glimpse of the Comfort Quilt as it was unveiled at the Women's Memorial. The quilt was made by the crew of the USNS Comfort during the ship's 2003 deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. View the exhibit.