Dr. James Sefton was a professor in the History Department at California State University, Northridge. Over many years he purchased individual servicepeople's correspondence and related ephemera. The bulk of the collection is comprised of correspondence in a variety of formats, including voice letters on phonograph records, V-mail, typed, and handwritten letters. Correspondence often includes related photographs and ephemera, though there are a number of scrapbooks and photograph albums not connected to any of the correspondence. The Collection also contains military insignia, both original and reproduction, for the United States Army and Air Force. Most insignia relates to the American military during World War II though there is also a St. Anselm's school pin and a German 1914 and 1939 Iron Cross. Materials document the everyday lives of American soldiers, and the many ways that they communicated with the home front during World War II.

Although many United States military branches are represented, the United States Navy is particularly well-represented. Materials also have a focus on the Pacific Theatre, including the American military presence in China and the Philippines before World War II. There are also a number of photograph albums and ephemera related to the United States Navy in the interwar period, as well as the immediate post-war period in Japan.

Most servicepeople are identified in their correspondence, though there are a small number of photographs and postcards that are unidentified. When known, the rank of the serviceperson is identified in the folder title, along with the name of the serviceperson. When the creator of an album or scrapbook is unknown, the name of the ship or military branch is included. A small number of photographs depict graphic beheadings, combat destruction, and deceased humans. Materials are arranged alphabetically by title.