The Robert Coats Fighter Ace Collection consists primarily of military documents relating to the World War II service of Captain Robert Charles Coats. Although Coats served in the United States Navy from 1940 to 1971, the items in this collection are from the years 1940-1951.

Included in the collection is Coats' military personnel documents, including two black-and-white photographs of Coats as an aviation cadet. Additional materials consist of his ensign commission, fitness reports, Certificate of Honorable Discharge, and achievement reports, which outline all of the enemy aircraft damaged and destroyed by Coats from December 1941 through June 1945. The bulk of the collection pertains to the various awards Coats received during his military service, both during and post-World War II. These awards include an Air Medal, four Gold Stars, a Navy Cross, a Distinguished Flying Cross, and two Presidential Unit Citations awarded to Coats while stationed on the USS Hornet and theUSS Bunker Hill. The citations and related correspondence are present for each award.

There are also two 8x10-inch undated black-and-white photographs. One is a group portrait of United States Navy aviators standing on the deck of a ship. The second is a casual group snapshot of Robert Coats with four of his fellow Navy aviators. There is an inscription on the verso: "Bob's [Coats] division; Left to right: Bob, Hays, Ogden, Manson, Ladouceur [?]. Ladouceur is my wingman - Ogden is my #2 section leader + either Hays or Manson fly on him."