This collection contains primarily the documents, images and memories of those from the Grand Rapids and Kent County area who served during World War II. It also includes other war memorabilia, such as ration books or newspaper clippings on the War at home.

Several of the accessions were gathered, during a period of focus on this topical area, by City Historian Gordon Olson, during the 1999-2002 time period. Others have continued to come from that impetus, while some accessions were in the backlog of existing materials waiting for processing.

Provenance can be tracked within the finding aid, or through other archival files.