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Access to Military Service and Pension Records
Attention:
There is a rumor circulating among veteran service organizations that Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) at the National Personnel Records Center will be digitized and then destroyed. This rumor is NOT TRUE.
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.
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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.
Note: Individual military records are not online. However, sample
military service records have been digitized and are available through the
Archival Research
Catalog (ARC). |
If you are a veteran or next-of-kin of a deceased
veteran, you may now use eVetRecs
to order copies of military records (or use the paper form, SF-180).
Ordering online is now available
to order copies of:
- Federal military pension applications for military service
from the American Revolution up to before World War I.
- Bounty-land warrant applications for Federal military service before 1856.
Paper copies of military service and pension records can be ordered by mail from
the facility which holds the records (see below).
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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.
Washington, D.C.
The National
Archives Building in Washington, D.C., holds records relating to:
Branch of Service |
Dates |
Volunteers |
Military service performed by persons serving during an emergency and
whose service was considered to be in the Federal interest, 1775 -
1902
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Regular Army |
Enlisted personnel, 1789 - October 31, 1912 Officers, 1789 - June
30, 1917
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Navy |
Enlisted personnel, 1798 - 1885 Officers, 1798 - 1902
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Marine Corps |
Enlisted personnel, 1789 - 1904 Some officers, 1789 - 1895 |
Coast Guard |
Persons who served in predecessor agencies to the U.S. Coast Guard:
the Revenue Cutter Service (Revenue Marine), the Life-Saving Service, and
the Lighthouse Service, 1791 - 1919
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Confederate States |
Persons who rendered military service for the Confederate States
government in its armed forces, 1861 - 1865 |
Veterans Records |
Claims files for pensions based on Federal military service, 1775 -
1916 and Bounty land warrant application files relating to claims based
on wartime service, 1775 - 1855
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To order military service records from Washington, D.C., use 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.
St. Louis, Missouri
The National
Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, holds military personnel
files of later military service records.
Branch of Service |
Dates |
U.S. Army |
Officers separated after June 29, 1917 Enlisted personnel separated
after October 31, 1912
Note: Many records were destroyed by fire
in the St. Louis Center in 1973. |
US Air Force |
Officers and enlisted personnel separated after September 24, 1947
Note: Many records were destroyed by fire
in the St. Louis Center in 1973. |
US Navy |
Officers separated after 1901 Enlisted personnel separated after
1884 |
US Marine Corps |
Officers separated after 1904 Enlisted personnel separated after
1905 |
US Coast Guard |
Officers separated after 1897 Enlisted personnel separated after
1905 |
U.S. Coast Guard predecessor agencies |
Civilian employees of agencies such as Revenue Cutter Service,
Lifesaving Service, and Lighthouse Service, retired after 1919.
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To order records from St. Louis:
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:
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