Military Service & Treatment Records
Methods to Obtain Copies of Service Records
Methods to Obtain Copies of Service Records
February 25, 2024
Are you looking for your service records, or those of a family member? The National Archives in St. Louis, MO, is the official repository of millions of records for all military personnel—from all service branches—who served during the late 19th and 20th century. The National Archives at St. Louis is the repository for numerous document types.
Veterans and their next of kin can obtain free copies of their DD Form 214 (Report of Separation) and other military service and medical records. There are two ways to request your service and medical records.
- Use VA Form SF180 to request your military service records, like your DD214, other separation documents, your orders and endorsements, and your military medical records. Download the form via the National Archives website at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/standard-form-180.html. The VA website will also redirect you to this location to download the form. Instructions on how to prepare and send in the form are on the National Archives website at the link above.
- You can also do a Military Service Records request on-line using the VETRECS website at https://vetrecs.archives.gov/VeteranRequest/home.html where you can Make a New Request or check status on an existing request.
Archival records: The National Archives at St. Louis maintains Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) of those service members that were discharged, retired or deceased 62 years from the current date. These records belong to the National Archives and become archival 62 years after the service member’s separation from the military. This is a rolling date. For example, the current year (2023) minus 62 years is 1961. Therefore, records with a discharge date of 1961 and prior are archival and open to the public. Additionally, various records of Persons of Exceptional Prominence (PEP) are also archival and open to the public. Requests for archival records do not require a signature.
A fire in 1973 destroyed 80% of our Army personnel records from 1912 to 1960 and 75% of our Air Force records from 1947 to 1964, with names alphabetically after Hubbard, James E. Please keep in mind when requesting a record from these particular service branches that the record may be fire related and require preservation treatment. If this is the case, it will take several weeks to either receive a copy of the record, if requested by mail, or view the record in the archival research room, if visiting our facility.
Non-archival records: Records of individuals who left service less than 62 years ago are not yet archival. These non-archival records are maintained at the National Personnel Records Center, but remain in the legal custody of the military service departments. A non-archival OMPF is open to the Veteran, the next of kin or to a third-party requester who has the Veteran’s written authorization. Under the provisions of FOIA, the general public may only obtain limited information from these records. Requests for non-archival records must be signed and dated.
Request records: A request for a military personnel record, archival or non-archival, should include:
For archival or non-archival requests, submit a letter or Standard Form 180 with the above information to:
National Personnel Records Center
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, MO 63138
Or, to request an archival or non-archival record via eVetRecs, visit our National Archives website and follow the steps provided. Official Military Personnel Files, as well as auxiliary records, may also be viewed by visiting our research room.
