The Robert Wetter collection has been arranged into three series: Military Service (1942-2002), Return Scrapbook (1995) and Veterans Papers (1949-2005).
Military Service (1942-2002) series is comprised of papers, correspondence, orders, still images and maps taken from two scrapbooks constructed by Wetter. The scrapbooks were dismantled for preservation purposes. Copies of the scrapbook pages and annotations made by Wetter are available in the collection.
Papers include official military documents, such as orders and training materials. Other papers include letters from his flight crew after the war, notes to his parents, and newspaper clippings about the war.
Photographs from Wetter's service include images from various training camps, his movements around the country, to and from the war, and during his service. These images include an obstacle course, flight training, airplanes, bases and nearby cities. Images from his service in the Pacific include bases and quarters on Saipan and Guam, Wetter and his fellow soldiers at various bases. Of interest is a series of photographs taken from his airplane that feature views of the ground on Japan, a sign that reads “PW” and parachutes being dropped off the plane. In his personal memoirs and autobiography, it is explained that Wetter and his crew were tasked with finding prisoner of war camps and dropping supplies there. Also of interest are portraits of the flight crew in their plane with identifications by Wetter. Images from his return home include photographs of a train with “Wisconsin Bound” written on the cars.
Maps from Wetter's service include a detailed map of Lowry Field in Denver, a silk, or parachute, map of the Pacific and a partial map featuring the Japanese islands. The maps in this collection feature notes and markings made by Wetter, indicating important places and buildings on each map, and have been retained with the manuscript collection due to the significant notations.
Reunion and Anniversary Scrapbook (1995) series consists of papers and still images from a 50th Anniversary trip to Saipan and Iwo Jima. These photographs include images of Saipan, Iwo Jima, the flight from the United States to Saipan, and Saipan to Iwo Jima, and ceremonies to memorialize events. The photographs had been arranged into a scrapbook with explanations for each photograph. These explanations have been matched with the photographs and are available with the photographs from each page.
Veterans Papers (1949-2005) is comprised mainly of papers from his training, education and achievements with the Department of Defense. These papers and certificates document Wetter's training in various specialized areas for his job with the Department Of Defense, including graduation and coursework certificates and transcripts. Other papers include certificates for contribution and his retirement. The autobiography written by Wetter includes a family history and his personal memoirs about the war. The autobiography also contains the story Wetter wrote shortly after the war about his experience with dropping supplies on a POW camp in Japan.
