Finding a Home for Sixth Marine Division Mementos and Artifacts

We are frequently asked – Where can I donate World War II souvenirs and artifacts handed down by Sixth Division Marines? Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find a place that will take them. Major museums like the National Museum of the Marine Corps get so many donations that unless an item has a very special circumstance or was used by someone “famous,” they aren’t interested.

Here are a few ideas from our Historian, Laura Lacey.
  • Review the guidance provided by the National Museum of the Marine Corps for accepting donations. The museum suggests you contact the appropriate curator before filling out a Donor and User Information Form.
        NMMC Guidelines and Donor and User Information Form

  • Contact a local county/city museum and/or library. They may be interested in the items, especially if they are accompanied with a period picture of the person who owned them or one that ties him/her to the community.

  • Check with the local Marine Corps League.

  • Contact the Battle of Okinawa Historical Display Museum on Camp Kinser, Okinawa:
        Museum website

  • For pictures and papers, contact the Alfred M. Grey Marine Corps Research Center (GRC) in Quantico. (Their archive already has a Sixth collection that Laura created, which is reputably the best Division collection.) The GRC supports the educational needs of the Marine Corps University, Marines worldwide, and other Marine Corps researchers (like Laura). They will probably not take your “green book” (they have countless of them) or official Marine Corps pictures. However, unique items such as V-mail, personal pictures, and diaries may be of interest because they give historians a better picture of what regular Marines went through during the war.
        Address: 2040 Broadway St, Quantico, VA 22134
        Email: grc_conference@usmcu.edu
        GRC website

  • Instead of donating an item, consider keeping it in the family. Laura suggests creating a special display for a young person who will appreciate the significance of the gift. Both of her sons have special mementos passed to them by a member of Sixth that are treasured because they know the history of them. Her daughter has a similar item that she proudly displays in her first home. What a great way to keep the memory of the Division alive!

    For items you elect to keep, make sure they are preserved appropriately so they will not deteriorate, especially pictures and papers. Here is a website that may be helpful with that: National Archives

Another idea is to check with Bob McCalmont, proud son-in-law of the late Corporal Sam P. Holt (4th Mar-2-G) Bob says, "If you have Sixth Marine Division mementos and artifacts, don’t throw them out! I am interested in talking with you about your items. These include patches, medals, newspaper clippings, and books. Larger items such as uniforms and equipment may be too big for shipment, but I would be glad to discuss the possibilities. My wife, Jane, and I are a military family dating back from World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Shield/Storm, Afghanistan to the Cold War! We display these items in our house, and we take pictures and some small items with us when we travel. They become great discussion topics with people we meet. I am not a trained archivist/preservationist, but I assure you, your items will be handled with the utmost care! Please contact me at rmccalmont@att.net. God Bless our Sixth Marine Division Family!"