The papers of the Carl Birk are divided into three series, Papers, Photographs, and Videos.
Papers (1948-2000) consists mostly of scrapbooks complied by Birk relating to his service in the Wisconsin National Guard unit from Ft. Atkinson. The original scrapbooks contained a mixture of original photographs, photographs Birk borrowed from others to scan and print out on paper, newspaper clippings, and some manuscript material. The scrapbooks were photocopied for preservation purposes and then dismantled, with the copied books remaining in the collection along with the original photographs and manuscript materials. The scrapbooks contain an immense amount of information and documentation about the history of the Wisconsin National Guard in Fort Atkinson with a particular focus on its role in the Berlin Crisis, when the entire 32nd Division was called into federal service and sent to Fort Lewis, Washington. Newspaper articles describe the surprise and worry felt by the Guardsmen and their families upon call-up as Company C, 2nd Battle Group, 128th Infantry Regiment, their travel to the Pacific Northwest, and the living conditions and activities they engaged in while there. In addition to the scrapbooks, the collection includes materials relating to the Aggressor Maneuvers in which Birk took part at Fort Lewis. Designed to prepare the troops for guerrilla-style warfare, documentation establishing “the enemy” (to be portrayed by a different group of U.S. troops) and its military structure and various forms to be used during the maneuvers are located in the collection. Materials relating specifically to Birk's service include scattered personnel documents, many certificates that show the educational courses he took through the military, and a squad leader's handbook he used while at Fort Lewis. An atomic bomb attack advice card provides some insight into the pervasive fear of nuclear attack during the Cold War and how the public was told to react to it. There are also scattered papers related to Birk's membership in three veterans organizations: Co. C, 128 Infantry (for veterans of the Fort Atkinson National Guard), Old Timers (veterans of the 32nd Division), and the Red Arrow Club of Southern Wisconsin. Included are newspaper articles from the Janesville Gazette from October of 1990, covering celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the 32nd's activation, and a poster with the signatures of surviving veterans from a 1992 Old Timers reunion.
Photographs (1948-1990) include both loose photographs, photographs removed from the scrapbooks, and some pictures that were scanned by Birk but printed out on paper. This series contains numerous photographs from Birk's time at Fort Lewis during the Berlin Crisis (1961-1962). Many of the shots give a sort of “behind-the-scenes” look at the conditions experienced by the soldiers, showing barracks, inspections, and the cooks who prepared their food. There are many scenery shots of the Pacific Northwest, some pictures from Operation Mesa Drive, a field training exercise, and billboards welcoming the troops back to Wisconsin in 1962. Other photographs come from annual training done by the Wisconsin National Guard at Camp McCoy and Camp Ripley and show the men in formal training and informal recreational situations. There are pictures from a company party that include a Red Arrow made of raw hamburger. Other pictures in the series document the Wisconsin National Guard recruitment process, parades, and rifle range training as well as recreational activities like the company rifle and softball teams. There are several photographs from reunions of three veterans organizations to which Birk belonged: the 32nd Division Veterans Association, Co. C, 128th Infantry, and the Old Timers.
Videos (1986-1992) consists of seven VHS cassettes. Five of them contain footage of various reunions of the 32nd Division from the late 1980s through the early 1990s. In general, they show veterans and their spouses socializing over dinner, speeches by officers and dignitaries, parades, and other typical reunion activities. A sixth tape contains black and white footage of the 105th Cavalry Regiment training in the years leading up to World War II (1937-1939) while the seventh tape is a general documentary history of the 32nd Division from its Civil War origins through World War II.
