World War II

At Florida State University, the Institute on World War II and Human Experience works to preserve World War II memorabilia and artifacts it receives through donations from the men and women who served in the war and from their families.

Too many of these items are thrown away when the individual to whom they were meaningful dies. If you inherit these kinds of materials and have no one to pass them on to, consider donating them to the Institute or a similiar museum or preservation effort. (Click here for donation information for the FSU Institute.)

Don’t let the memories of the greatest generation be carried out with yesterday’s newspaper. The Institute will consider just about anything. Some of the items they’ve already received since the beginning of the program in 1997 include:

- personal papers
- letters and diaries
- scrapbooks
- memoirs
- photographs and films
- maps and flight or ship’s logs
- military documents
- unit histories
- uniforms
- books and works of art including cartoons
- newspapers
- business records
- oral history interviews

While it may be difficult to part with momentos that belonged to your loved one, make sure that the items will be properly appreciated, preserved, and cared for. If that can’t happen within the family, look to outside sources like the FSU Institute. Their webpage bears the famous “I Want You” poster of Uncle Sam and the words beneath the image say it all, “I want to save your memories of the war that saved the world.”

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