Unknown picture of female soldier at Bennington Museum

BENNINGTON, Vt. (NEWS10) -- The Collections Manager at the Bennington Museum, Callie Raspuzzi, came across a photo of an unknown female soldier while planning an upcoming exhibit. All that's known is she was a member of the Women's Army Corps. There was no record of the picture in the museum's collection.

"I don't know if this is something that maybe was brought in for a program; they just needed a stock photo of the Women's Army Corps and it somehow migrated into storage and stuck around for 50 years," pondered Raspuzzi.

The picture was likely taken between 1975 and 1978 as the latter is when male and female army units were combined. Raspuzzi says the best chance the museum has to identify this veteran is her uniform. "After 1975, they were issued white shirts. It's a little hard to tell because photos from the 70s are imperfect but it certainly appears to be white."

While her identity remains a mystery, the museum does know about three historic uniforms that will be on display.

"One was worn by a Vermonter named Mary Macomber. She was from up near Montpelier," described Raspuzzi. "She joined the Women's Army Corps in 1943 during WWII and served as an aviation cadet."

The soldier's photograph is posted on the Bennington Museum's Facebook page in hopes that someone recognizes her and can give information. People have already been commenting ideas and historical facts.

These pieces may be included in the upcoming "Women in Wartime" exhibit. It will be available to see from September 13, 2025, to December 31, 2025.