‘Our War Too’ at Atlanta History Center honors women who served during WWII
When Ruth Primm approached the senior curator and director of curatorial affairs for the National World War II Museum, Kimberly Guise, after a presentation at Atlanta History Center, she did so with tears in her eyes. Her voice cracked.
“Thank you,” the 71-year-old Atlantan said, shaking Guise’s hand. “It’s more important than ever that we preserve women’s military history.”
Guise had just spoken about “Our War Too: Women in Service,” a traveling exhibition she curated that illuminates the courage and gumption of more than 350,000 women who volunteered to serve in all branches of the armed services during World War II, including the army, navy, air force, nurse corps, Coast Guard and marine corps.
Those trailblazers laid the foundation for women to be fully integrated into the U.S. Armed Forces in 1948 through the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act.
The exhibition features more than 200 artifacts ranging from military uniforms to personal effects, marketing, photographs, letters, scrap books and interactive audio recordings. It opened to Atlanta History Center members Monday and the public Tuesday. It will be on display through August 2026.
Reactions and reflections
Primm was not the only person to show emotion while thanking Guise. Several visitors shared tales from their own family histories. Others wrote messages in the guest books after touring the exhibition. A few employed humor.
“I hope my friend’s daughter can see this. She flies Black Hawk helicopters in the Army,” wrote a guest anonymously in one of the guest books.
“This exhibit makes me so proud of all the brave, strong women who volunteered,” wrote Meredith Altman in another.
“Pete Hegseth oughta see this,” joked Claiborine Bouldin aloud, referring to the U.S. Secretary of War’s recent speech Sept. 30 at Quantico, which addressed gender-neutral physical standards for members in the military.
Bouldin and his wife Lisa Wong-Bouldin came to see the exhibit in honor of Bouldin’s godmother, Marione Nestor, whom they knew had been in the Women’s Army Corps as a Lieutenant Colonel. While touring the exhibition, they were shocked when they stumbled upon a photograph of Nestor with a group of Nisei translators they had no idea would be in the exhibit.
Inspiring responses and personal reflection was part of Timothy Frilingos’ vision when he suggested bringing “Our War Too” to the Atlanta History Center.
Frilingos, Atlanta History Center’s director of exhibitions, first saw “Our War Too” in 2023 when it opened in celebration of Veterans Day Nov. 11 at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. He immediately knew he wanted to bring it to Atlanta, he said.
“It is an exhibition that the whole family can come to, that multiple generations can come to tell stories and connect,” said Frilingos, whose mother was a Vietnam-era army nurse.
“I haven’t taken anyone through this exhibition that hasn’t started to tell me a story about a grandmother or an aunt who participated in World War II or participated in the armed forces after that.”
Crafting the storyline
Much research went into the creation of “Our War Too,” Guise recounted. Several years before it opened, she assembled an advisory board of experts in women’s military history, including authors, professors, historians, curators and staff from the Army Women’s Museum. Together, the board shaped the exhibition’s storylines.
“I think it is a very compelling story of devotion to the country, of sacrifice, of a willingness to be judged,” Guise said. “They were under a microscope. That’s something that has remained consistent.”
A cornerstone of the exhibition is a long display of uniforms, one for each branch where women served, including the WAAC (Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps), WAC (Women’s Army Corps once women were given full military status), WAVES (U.S. Navy’s Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), WASPS (Women Airforce Service Pilots), SPARS (the Coast Guard’s Women’s Reserve, called SPARs after the motto “Semper Paratus — Always Ready”), Army and Navy Nurse Corps, and Marine Corps Women’s Reserve.
Another highlight is an area titled “I Was There.” The featured women recorded robust interviews in the last years of their lives, all over the age of 100. Video displays utilizing AI technology allow guests to hold conversations with them.
“Those octogenarian veterans were lively,” said Guise. “The knowledge that our time with living primary sources is limited adds extra urgency to our mission.”
Fashionable and feminine items are featured too: a hand-woven pink cover for a military dog tag to keep cold metal off skin, a tube of Victory Red lipstick (a shade commonly worn by World War II women) and a stunning evening gown made from a military parachute.
“ (The dress’s maker) was sick and tired of feeling drab in her standard utilitarian working clothes,” Guise said. “When invited to a dance, she used the material she had on hand: a silk parachute … and a used zipper from a pair of men’s trousers.”
An interactive digital scrapbook gives visitors an intimate glimpse into women’s friendships, romances and day-to-day lives in military service. The scrapbook was compiled using real albums donated by servicewomen and their families.
“Women have always been a part of every bit of progress in this country,” Primm said. “Often, they have not received the proper recognition for their skills.”
“Our War Too” attempts to give women their due credit.
If you go
“Our War Too: Women in Service.” 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday through August 2026. $27. Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta. atlantahistorycenter.com.
About the Author
