We currently have 14453 items listed in the inventory, in 6739 different locales, with 2667 associated photos. This abandoned donkey boiler is off the side of Hwy 130, West of Laramie, Wyoming. It is not in the database.

How we do things

Ownership for Military Items in US public memorials:

The US Government subsidizes items for public memorials by only requiring payment for transportation. The cost of the item is not included and ownership remains with the US Government unless specified in writing. Our default is to list government ownership for public memorials.

We use the current inventory manager name as the owner and try to identify the original entity that obtained the loaned item. We cite the US Government as owner for those items we do not have on an active listing.

See our Memorial History page for more information on the background of some of the memorials. It is a work in progress.

Database serial numbers: We pad our identification numbers with zeros in order list them in order. If the items is ex-military we also add the associated service(s), ie 63-12201: USAF or WD592: UKRAF.
A lot of aircraft started life in one service and were transferred to other services. For Example: the PBY-5 "046582: USN; 6520: FAB" started as a US Navy Catalina and was transferred to the Brazialian Air Force.
Certain oddities eventually show up, for instance: F-86F 57-6432:NAA; 02-7975: JASDF. The aircraft parts were made in the USA and had an administrative serial number assigned by North American Aviation (NAA.) The parts were then shipped to Japan and assembled by Mitsubishi. It was then given a serial number for the Japanese Self Defense Force. The aircraft was never part of the USAF.
See our abbreviations page for more information on the abbreviations.

Designations are a constant problem.
United States Naval aircraft: We try to keep the models generic and when drilled down to the item make it specific. For instance, the Grumman Wildcat is either a F4F or FM2 depending on where it was manufactured. In a model search you will only see "Wildcat" and the different versions will show up when selected.
For those aircraft that have different names for different roles they will also come out in the model selection. For example the Recconaissance version will not be included with the Fighter version on the listing. That means that you will find five different versions of the F-84: FICON; Thunderflash; Thunderjet; Thunderscreech; and Thunderstreak.

The US Army items have similar challenges, having started their model numbers at M1 for every different type of ordnance/equipment they held in inventory. They renumbered their items in 1962 but you can still find duplications like the M114, it is either a Howitzer or a Command and Recconaissance Carrier. The Army has started with M1 again with the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank and we still have the obsolete M1A1 120mm Anti-Aircraft "Stratosphere Gun" on display in several locations.
Another of these challenges for the Army is their Artillery inventory serialization. In 1962 they updated their model numbers but only added new dataplates on the units during overhaul. That means that a person can walk up to two similar guns and find two different model numbers. Newer artillery units have multiple serial numbers found on the item. We only track four associated serial numbers: gun (receiver/breach;) carriage; recoil mechanism; and tube (barrel.) Our US Army reference inventory uses any one of the these as the serial number. ** note: they depend on the end user to record the serial number of the item received. In many cases it is the easiest one found. ** US Army motorized equipment has at least two numbers, the serial/construction number and the registration number.
We have a lot of model numbers for weapons, it might be better to search by "Type" and then drill down by model.

Some of the US combat aircraft are listed as having unknown serial numbers because of the policies of the AMARC. In the process of de-militarizing the aircraft they remove the data plates. This means the only visual record of serialization is painted on the side, which may be lost to history when repainted.

Locations:
We get our locations using Google Earth. We try to put the icon just to the right of the item so they can be found using Google Earth and Google Maps. Since these locations are based on photos, they will be a little off from actual GPS coordinates.

Unknowns Our serial number data contains the following types of unknowns:
unknown - no data available, on the item or in any available documentation.
unknown9999 - data is not in available in our current reseach documentation. Data on the item itself is painted over or masked. The number reflects our record number. We provide the record number in hopes that someone will have the information we need to complete the data set.

Definitions We use the following definitions to describe an item:
Replica: Built to resemble original using modern/different materials, operates as originally designed.
Model: Built to resemble original but not operational.