Military Records, 1946 - 2009

This series contains Neil Armstrong's United States Navy Officer Service Record, and includes everything from his "Orders; chargeable against appropriation 'Officer Candidate Training', April 18, 1949" through "Certificate, Honorable Discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States of America, United States Navy, October 21, 1960."

Located in folder 5 are photocopies of Armstrong’s [CNATRA] (Chief of Naval Air Training) - Aviation Training Summaries and Evaluations, 1949-1950. The summaries and evaluations give a detailed account of his training and progression as an aviator at this time and include comments from his instructors. Also of note are various Navy papers found in folder 1 of box 2. These range from letters of appointment, certificates, citations and correspondence. The items were left in their original order, and due to fire damage, they have been sleeved for preservation purposes. After his military service, Armstrong maintained ties to his military colleagues. The last folders in this series contain correspondence, including e-mails from some of these fellow servicemen. One folder is dedicated to the VF-51 squadron of which he was a member and includes an official “Fighting Fifty One” patch and reunion information from this squadron. Of special note in this folder is a spiral bound document; “Korean Log, Bob (Bottle) Kaps, VF-51, USS Essex, 28 June 1951 to 25 March 1952, USS Valley Forge (CV-45), 20 November 1952 to 12 April 1953,” which provides a unique look at the activities aboard the carriers. Also found in the [Navy] folder is correspondence in regards to “The Brown Shoes” History Project (subtitled “Personal Histories of the Flying Midshipmen and other Naval Aviators of the Korean War Era”), a project undertaken by the University of Virginia. Included is Armstrong’s personal account, “carrier based fighter escort of B29/B50 raid on Rashin,” written for the project. There are also a few photographs, obituaries and miscellaneous items. The few photographs were left in this series in order to retain their significance, since most were sent with correspondence from Navy colleagues. More Navy photographs featuring Armstrong can be found in Series XVI. Photographs.