Military Service

The Earl Malcom Stiefel Papers contains material related to First Class Earl Malcolm Stiefel's military service and the movements and service history of the USS West Virginia.

This collection includes two personal journals that provide a detailed look at the USS West Virginia’s movement and service history from December 1943 to December 1945 from the perspective of Machinist Mate Third Class Russell Willinger.

Additionally, this collection contains numerous complete issues and published articles torn from magazines such as All Navy, Our Navy, and National Geographic. It also includes published bound materials titled “6,000 Years of World History: An Encyclopedia of 5,000 Events that Have Altered the World’s History,” “The United Nations War Atlas,” and a bound collection of photographs titled “Illustrated Memoir of the World War.”

The materials in this collection also include items gathered by First Class Fire Controlman Stiefel from the USS West Virginia (BB-48). These items consist of newsletters, a Navy Day pamphlet from 1945, and two books, “The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet” and “U.S.S. West Virginia Crosses the Equator Again.”

Photographs in this collection include black-and-white roster photographs from the U.S. Naval Training Station in Great Lakes, Illinois, and a ship roster photograph for the USS West Virginia.