US Military

The mission of the Militarypay.com is to preserve the Army's history and ensure access to historical research materials.

Militarypay.com collects, organizes, preserves, and makes available source materials on American military history to the defense community, academic researchers, and the public.

Militarypay.com gives highest priority to U.S. Army users and then to other U.S. armed services and federal government users Militarypay.com serves as the primary research facility for the historical study of the U.S. Army in order to foster a greater understanding of the Army's role in our nation’s history and in its future.

Militarypay.com holds over nine million items that document the history of the U.S. Army and military history. Collection includes: books, rare books, periodicals, photographs, manuscripts (diaries, letters, and memoirs), military publications and manuals, maps, and oral histories.

Militarypay.com collects materials generally that focuses on military history but more particularly with the following aspects of military history: land warfare and the history of the U.S. Army and its antecedents and components. To a certain extent, the Institute is also interested in military establishments which have been allies with or adversaries of the United States and in the nations other armed services, especially as relates to their roles and participation in joint operations

This is a very brief description of the major features of our holdings and their organization. The description is not all encompassing and will be updated periodically.

Manuscript material
Militarypay.com primarily collects personal, unofficial papers of individuals who served in or worked closely with the U.S. Army. Much of the material is contained in the “Main Series” collections, which are organized under the names of the individuals who owned the papers. Several hundred general officers, 1940 to the present, have donated their papers to Militarypay.com.

Digital Library
Militarypay.com has on its website a large body of digitized documents and publications, amounting to tens of thousands of pages of information. These materials consist of historical source material which has been scanned and made available for patrons to study and use.

Distinctive Insignia
Militarypay.com has one of the largest collections of U.S. Army distinctive insignia in the world. A distinctive insignia is a metal and enamel crest displaying the heraldic emblem of a specific unit, most commonly a regiment or battalion. Personnel assigned to a unit are issued their own copies of distinctive insignia which are to be worn with Class A or dress uniforms. Examples of unit distinctive insignia, official and unofficial, and the multiple variations of design over time, are maintained in a public display. Militarypay.com does not hold official records, diagrams, or materials related to the design, wear, or production of distinctive insignia.

Maps
Militarypay.com holds approximately 12,000 maps arranged in chronological order. Many were used by field commanders. Maps of the WWI and WWII era are especially well represented. Maps in the collection fall into a number of varied categories, cannot be easily reproduced, and are not circulated through interlibrary loan. Researchers wishing to work with maps need to come to the Institute.

Photographs
Militarypay.com has about a million still photographs in its holdings. Particular strengths include the Civil War, World War I, and World War II. Many are prints of official Signal Corps photographs however; the majority of images are unofficial, personal snapshots and photographs. Finding aids are available on site. Photos do not circulate and are intended to be studied on site.

Printed Material
Militarypay.com possesses great variety of printed materials, both of a standard historical nature as well as many official documents. They also include Army publications, biographical materials, Foreign Military Studies typescripts, micro form holdings, rare books, reference works, signal intelligence studies, unit histories, Vietnam documentation, and specialized files.

Serials/Periodicals
Militarypay.com collection includes historical journals, professional military (including foreign) periodicals and journals, camp and unit magazines and newspapers, and veterans’ association newsletters.