Access to Military Service and Pension Records
Neither the Department of Defense (DoD) nor the National Personnel Records Center intend to destroy any OMPFs stored at the Center. The purpose of any electronic scanning would be to reduce the handling of fragile records during the reference process or to reduce the time necessary to locate and answer an OMPF inquiry.
The National Archives and Records Administration preserves and protects OMPFs because they are permanently valuable records that document the essential evidence of military service for the veterans of our nation. More...
Introduction
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the official repository for records of military personnel who have been discharged from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard. Paper copies of military service and pension records can be ordered by mail from the facility which holds the records (see below).
Note: Individual military records are not online. However, sample military service records have been digitized and can be found in the National Archives Catalog.
The two main repositories for records relating to military service are:
- The National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.
- The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri.
Military Records Holdings in Washington, D.C.
The National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., holds records relating to:
Ordering Copies
To order military service records from Washington, D.C.,
order online or the
NATF
Form 86.
Copies of military pension claim files for military service from the American Revolution
up to before World War I and bounty-land warrant applications for Federal
military service before 1856 can now be
ordered online,
as well as through NATF
Form 85.
Military Records Holdings in St. Louis, Missouri
The National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, holds military personnel files of later military service records.
Ordering Copies
To order records from St. Louis:
- If you are a veteran or next-of-kin of a deceased veteran, use
eVetRecs, at vetrecs.archives.gov (or use the
paper form, SF-180).
- All others, use Standard Form 180.
Access to Military Service Records is limited. See Services for Veterans, Next-of-Kin, or the Veteran's Representative for more information.
For more information about researching military service records, see: