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.
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
Veterans and their next of kin can obtain free copies of their DD Form 214 and other military service and medical records at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration either by online ordering at vetrecs.archives.gov or downloading form SF-180.
Records of individuals who left service less than 62 years ago are non-archival and are maintained under the Federal Records Center program. Federal (non-archival) OMPFs are subject to access restrictions, and only limited information or copies of documents from these records may be released to the general public within the provisions of the law. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act provide balance between the right of the public to obtain information from military service records and the right of the former military service member to protect his/her privacy. See Federal Records Center Program to access these records.
Based on a rolling date of 62 years (from now), all military personnel records will eventually become archival records, open to the general public.
Records of those service members that were discharged, retired or deceased 62 years before the current date. Records of any veteran who separated from the military 62 (or more) years ago can be ordered by anyone for a copying fee. Archival records are no longer the property of the agencies that created them, in this case the Military Service Departments, but are records of the National Archives, open to the general public. This is a rolling date, for example, the current year or 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.
Beginning in 2009, NARA signed agreements with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that transferred ownership of the Official Personnel Folders (OPFs) of certain former Federal civil employees from OPM over to NARA. As a result, the records of many former Federal civil servants whose employment ended prior to 1952 are now open to the public.
The National Personnel Records Center fire broke out on July 12, 1973, at the military records facility in Overland (suburban St. Louis), Missouri. An estimated 16 to 18 million official military personnel files were lost: 80% Army personnel records from 1912 to 1960, and 75% Air Force records from 1947 to 1964 with names alphabetically after Hubbard, James E.
Technicians salvaged about 6.5 million damaged files, drying them using aerospace vacuum chambers. The National Archives created "B-Files" (burned files) and alternative reconstruction methods (using VA claims, state records, and unit rosters) to help veterans prove service for benefits.
Please keep in mind when requesting a record from these particular service branches, that the record may be fire related and require preservation treatment.
When requesting archival or non-archival requests via form, submit a letter or a SF Form 180 to:
National Personnel Records Center
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, MO 63138
Include:
To request an archival or non-archival record online visit 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.
Due to the Department of Defense guidance (DODI 1336.01) that requires the electronic creation and transmission of the DD Form 215, National Archives and Records Administration will no longer create a DD Form 215 to make corrections to the DD-214.
If the record in question is archival (discharged, retired, or died in service 62 years ago or earlier) you will need to apply to the review board for your respective service branch for corrections or changes. Instructions on what to submit for each are listed below.
If the record in question is not archival, you will need to request a correction from the personnel command of your respective service branch, i.e. Navy Personnel Command, Army Human Resources Command, etc. Please see the table below for the addresses of each command.
If you are requesting a change to your character of service, i.e. dishonorable discharge upgraded to honorable, you will need to apply to the review board for your respective service branch.
(DO NOT submit forms to the National Archives. Use the appropriate address for your service branch as listed in the table.
Read more on the National Archives website.