Finding a Veteran's Military Service Records

A military service record can settle a family question in minutes: which unit Grandpa served with, when he shipped out, what awards he earned. For veterans it is often needed for benefits, burial, or simply to replace a lost discharge paper. The records exist, but the rules for getting them depend on who you are, when the veteran left the service, and which branch they served in. This guide explains those rules as the National Archives and the Department of Veterans Affairs state them, so you can send the right request the first time.

What a service record is

The core file is the Official Military Personnel File, usually shortened to OMPF. The National Archives explains that military personnel records can include DD 214s and other separation documents, the personnel file itself, and medical records. The DD 214, the Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, is the separation document most families have heard of, and it is often the first thing people go looking for. It summarizes dates and places of entry and release, last duty assignment and rank, military specialty, decorations and awards, and the character of service. The National Archives notes that before January 1, 1950, the services used several similar forms, so an older veteran's discharge paper may look different.

Requests for veterans' records are handled by the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri, part of the National Archives. Some recent records are still held by the service itself. The Department of Veterans Affairs notes, for example, that Marine Corps records from 1998 to the present and Coast Guard records from 2008 to the present can be requested from the service's personnel command or through the National Archives, which forwards the request.

Who can request a record

Access depends on your relationship to the veteran and on how long ago the veteran separated.

Next of kin, defined

The National Archives defines next of kin as the un-remarried widow or widower, son, daughter, father, mother, brother, or sister of the deceased veteran. Grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins are not on that list. Next of kin must send proof of death, such as a death certificate, a letter from a funeral home, or a published obituary.

Researchers and other third parties

Lawyers, doctors, historians, and other third parties can receive a record if the veteran or next of kin signs and dates an authorization. The National Archives says such authorizations are valid for one year from the date of signature and must state exactly what may be released.

What the public can get without authorization

For non-archival records, the National Archives lists information that may be released to anyone under the Freedom of Information Act. It includes name, service number, dates and branch of service, final duty status, final rank, assignments and geographical locations, military education level, awards and decorations (eligibility only, not the medals themselves), photograph, transcripts of courts-martial trials, and place of entrance and separation. For a deceased veteran, place of birth, date and location of death, and place of burial may also be released. Some items, such as salary, are rarely available.

How to make a request

There are three main routes. Use whichever fits the veteran's branch, separation date, and your relationship.

milConnect, for recently separated veterans

milConnect is the Department of Defense's self-service site. Its Defense Personnel Records Information (DPRIS) feature lets veterans and service members request and download scanned copies of documents in their own OMPF. According to the VA, this route is available if you were discharged after these dates: Air Force, October 1, 2004; Army, October 1, 2002; Marine Corps, January 1, 1999; Navy, January 1, 1995. You need a milConnect account. Responses are purged after 10 days, so download the documents promptly, and note that not every document may be available online.

eVetRecs, online through the National Archives

The National Archives' online request system, eVetRecs, builds a customized request for veterans and next of kin. The VA's guidance says requesters choose "Make a new request" and sign in with an identity-verified ID.me account, and that the Archives may ask for a live selfie as part of identity checks.

Standard Form 180, by mail or fax

The paper route is Standard Form 180, Request Pertaining to Military Records. The VA directs requesters to send it to the address or fax number listed on the form's last page, using the chart there to find the right office for the branch and dates involved. The National Archives notes that using the SF-180 is recommended but not mandatory.

What to include, whichever route you use

• The veteran's complete name as used in service
• Service number and Social Security number, if known
• Branch and dates of service
• Date and place of birth, especially if the service number is unknown
• A signature and date from the veteran or next of kin; the National Archives requires that each request be signed and dated within the last year
• Proof of death, if you are next of kin

On cost, the National Archives says there is generally no charge for basic military personnel and health record information from non-archival records, and that it will notify you if a fee applies. Archival records are subject to National Archives copy fees. Check the official pages for current amounts before you order.

Archival records and the 62-year rule

A military personnel record becomes archival 62 years after the service member's separation. At that point it is transferred into the permanent holdings of the National Archives and opened to the public. The National Archives calls this a rolling date: each year, another year of records crosses the line. Using 2025 as its example, it gave 1963 as the cutoff.

This rule is a great help to genealogists. Anyone, related or not, can order a copy of an archival OMPF. The National Archives notes that archival records are released under different rules from recent records and that greater access is granted to them. Requests for archival records follow the process on the National Archives' archival records pages rather than the next-of-kin procedure.

The 1973 fire

Shortly after midnight on July 12, 1973, fire broke out at the NPRC military personnel records building in St. Louis. The National Archives estimates that 16 to 18 million Official Military Personnel Files were destroyed. The losses fell on two groups:

• Army: personnel discharged from November 1, 1912, to January 1, 1960. About 80 percent of these records were lost.
• Air Force: personnel discharged from September 25, 1947, to January 1, 1964, with names alphabetically after "Hubbard, James E." About 75 percent of these records were lost.

No duplicate copies or microfilm of the destroyed files existed. About 6.5 million burned and water-damaged records were recovered and dried, some through vacuum-drying at outside facilities. These are indexed in a separate "burned" registry and kept in a temperature-controlled area.

If the record was affected

A lost file does not always mean a dead end. The National Archives reconstructs basic service information from other sources, including Veterans Administration claims files, state records, pay vouchers, Selective Service registration records, military hospital records, separation X-rays, and unit records such as morning reports. More than 100,000 reels of Army and Air Force morning reports were saved from the building.

To help that search, the National Archives asks requesters for the place of discharge, the last unit of assignment, and the place of entry into service, in addition to the usual details. Old letters, photographs with unit insignia, and discharge papers kept at home can all supply those clues. This is one reason recording a veteran's memories, as described in our guide to recording a veteran's story, can matter for the paper record too.

Urgent requests and burials

For urgent needs, such as an upcoming surgery or a funeral, the National Archives asks requesters to state the urgency in the comments section of eVetRecs or the purpose section of the SF-180, and to fax it to the NPRC Customer Service Team at 314-801-0764.

For burial in a VA national cemetery, families do not need to obtain the records themselves. The VA says the National Cemetery Scheduling Office, reachable at 800-535-1117, will try to locate them, and the National Archives says it works directly with VA staff to verify service for burial benefits.

Using the record well

A service record is a primary source, but it is an administrative one. It tells you where a person was assigned, not what they saw or felt. Read it beside letters, photographs, and recorded memories, and expect small differences in dates or unit names. Our article on weighing eyewitness accounts explains how historians reconcile records and recollections. If you are preparing a donation to the Veterans History Project, a copy of the DD 214 can help you fill in the Biographical Data Form accurately.