The National Archives and Records Administration is the official depository
for records of military personnel separated from the United States Air Force,
Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. The records are housed in three
locations: the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., the Washington
National Records Center in Suitland, Md., and the National Personnel Records
Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Mo.
The NPRC contains records relating to:
U.S. Army officers separated after June 30, 1917, and enlisted Army personnel
separated after October 31, 1912.
U.S. Air Force officers and enlisted personnel separated after September 1947.
U.S. Naval officers separated after 1902, and naval enlisted personnel
separated after 1885. U.S. Marine Corps officers separated after 1895, and
enlisted personnel separated after 1904.
U.S. Coast Guard officers separated after 1928, and enlisted personnel
separated after 1914. Civilian employees of predecessor agencies (Revenue
Cutter Service, Life-Saving Service and Lighthouse Service) of the U.S. Coast
Guard from 1864-1919.
The Fire
A fire at the NPRC in St. Louis on July 12, 1973, destroyed about 80 percent
of the records for Army personnel discharged between November 1, 1912, and
January 1, 1960. Approximately 75 percent of the records for Air Force
personnel with surnames from "Hubbard" through "Z" discharged between
September 25, 1947, and January 1, 1964, were also destroyed.
What was Lost
It is hard to determine exactly what was lost in the fire, because there were
no indices to the blocks of records involved. The records were merely filed
in alphabetical order for the following groups:
World War I:
Army November 1, 1912 - September 7, 1939
World War II:
Army September 8, 1939 - December 31, 1946
Post World War II:
Army January 1, 1947 - December 31, 1959
Air Force September 25, 1947 - December 31, 1963
Millions of records, especially medical records, had been withdrawn from all
three groups and loaned to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) prior
to the fire. The fact that one's records are not in NPRC files at a
particular time does not mean the records were destroyed in the fire.
Reconstruction of Lost Records
If a veteran is advised that his or her records may have been lost in the
fire, he or she may send photocopies of any documents they posses to the
NPRC, particularly separation documents. This enables the NPRC to
re-establish files by adding those documents to the computerized index and
filing them permanently.
Alternate Sources of Military Service Data
In the event a veteran does not have any records in his or her possession,
the essential military service data may be available from a number of
alternate sources.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains records on veterans
whose military records were affected by the fire if the veteran or a
beneficiary filed a claim prior to July 1973.
Service information may also be found in various kinds of "organizational"
records such as unit morning reports, payrolls and military orders on file at
the NPRC or other NARA facilities.
There is also a great deal of information available in records of the State
Adjutants General, and other state "veterans services" offices.
By using alternate sources, NPRC may often be able to reconstruct a veteran's
beginning and ending dates of active service, the character of service, rank
while in service, time lost while on active duty, and periods of
hospitalization. NPRC is usually able to issue NA Form 13038, Certification
of Military Service, considered the equivalent of a Form DD-214, Report of
Separation From Active Duty, for the purpose of establishing eligibility for
veterans benefits.
Necessary Information for File Reconstruction
The key to reconstructing military data is to give the NPRC enough specific
information so the staff can properly search the various sources. The
following information is normally required:
Full name used during military service
Branch of service
Approximate dates of service
Service number
Place of entry into service
Last unit of assignment
Place of discharge