Advanced Records
Here’s more of what you need to know to be successful in your search:
Here are additional resources to help you find the military records of your father or loved one:
I. If you don’t have the serial number of the seviceman, you’ll need it. So the first record you should write for is a file created by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The documents in this file will include the veteran's serial number ~ and also may have a social security number. During World War II the serial number was NOT the social security number. The documents will also show designated next of kin and the file will contain marriage records and birth certificates.
To get a copy of this file call (800) 827-1000. This will ring at your regional office. They will be able to tell you where your veteran's file is located and where to write. You will need to be able to give them identifying information, or a VA file number. Be sure to tell them you are requesting a "retired file." However, if someone is alive (for example, the widow) and is still receiving benefits from the veteran, the file will be "active". You may need to get permission from that person or ask them to request the file in their name. If the widow never remarried and always received benefits, the file will be near where she is living or was living at the time of her death. After they tell you where the file is located, write to that address, requesting a copy of everything in the file. (You are only eligible to get the information in this file if you are next of kin and the veteran was killed or missing in action.)
If you do not have a serial number, and you become a member of AWON, you may request a "look up" of the serial number from our Data Base Manager free of charge. Remember, during World War II the serial number was NOT the social security number.
II. Once you have the serial number, write to the National Personnel Records Center for the veteran's "jacket." But do this only after you have the serial number:
National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records, 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, MO
You may write a letter ~ or use Standard Form 180 to request information.
The SF180 tells you what information the NPRC needs before they are able to answer your request and it is best to use one. To get a SF180 on the Internet, click here to go to the: National Archives.
You can also get a form by using Fax-on-Demand Fax number for requesting military records:314-801-9195, or by writing to the National Personnel Records Center. You will also find a form SF180 in Touchstones: A Guide to Records, Rights and Resources for Families of American World War II Casualties ~ by Ann Bennett Mix, available through the AWON Book Store ~ or check your local library.
You cannot request records by phone, but you can check or the status of your request (if you wait at least 3 months) ~ by calling (314) 538-2050. You cannot request records by email but you can email questions to mpr.center@nara.gov. More information is available on the website at: www.nara.gov/regional/mpr.
Ask for a copy of everything in your veteran's personnel records ("jackets"). Also ask for the "MED" records. (You must have a serial number to ask for "MED" records specifically, as they are only filed under the serial number ~ and not by name).
On the SF180 or in your letter, you may write (or attach a note): "I am the next of kin. I want these records for information for our family. I would like a copy of all documents in my father's personnel records file. If his records were burned or are missing, I would like to have his personnel file reconstructed. If the record is reconstructed, I would like a copy of all documents used to reconstruct his file and prove his service. The copies of the records I am requesting should include, but should not be limited to the following: Official Military Personnel File, Final Pay Voucher, Medical Records and Clinical Records to include the SGO Tape, Flight Records (for Army Air Corps Personnel only) and Certificate of Service."
It takes a LONG time to get these records ~ so the sooner you send for them the better. Many of these files were burned in a fire at the center in 1973. Some fragments of some records were saved, but many files were totally destroyed. This may have happened in your case. They will send whatever survived the fire and at least proof of service. (For information on writing for medals, Flight Reports, Morning Reports, Unit Records, and all benefits, we recommend the book Touchstones).
III. Next, write for the Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF.) These records were created by the Mortuary Services, which dealt with a war casualty's body and sending personal effects to the next of kin. They are especially useful if the personnel records were burned. If no body was recovered, there will be a report of the investigation. All mortuary records for World War II, for ALL branches, are kept at the Total Army Personnel Command (TAPC.) Be sure to mention your relationship to the person who died and that you are requesting the records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). You cannot request records by phone.
Here's the address provided by Jack Forgy in February, 2004. Write to:
Commander, US Army Human Resources Command
ATTN: AHRC-PAO (FOIA)
200 Stoval Street, Room 7S65
Alexandria, VA 22332-0400Phone: (703)-325-5300 for questions and to check on your request
For information on requesting a memorial marker and funeral services for a person whose remains were not recovered, see the latest edition of Touchstones.
IV. The Navy has index cards on deceased sailors. These 5x6 cards normally include a description of how the seaman was killed, burial place, next of kin, and birth, enlistment and death dates.
Write to:
Officer In Charge, Naval Medical And Dental Affairs
Mortuary Affairs Branch, PO Box 886999, Great Lakes IL 60088-6999,
Phone: (800)-876-1131 Ex 621, 627 or 628 Fax: (847)-688-3964
V. The Marine Corps has copies of casualty reports on microfilm and will send you a copy.
Contact:
Marine Corps Historical Center 1254 Charles Morris St. SE,
ATTN: Reference Section, Washington DC 20374-5040
Phone: (202) 433-3483 or Fax: (202) 433-4691
VI. Records for Merchant Marines killed in World War II have been transferred to the National Archives Records Center (Deceased and War Casualty Records for Merchant Seaman 1936-1950). There is a charge of $1.00 per page for copies of records. You can go to the National Archives and make copies yourself for about 15 cents per page.
Write to:
Old Military Civilian Records, National Archives,
7th and Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20408
Phone 202 501-5385
VII. The American Battle Monuments Commission is in charge of burials in American Military Cemeteries overseas. 134,548 American servicemen were buried in these cemeteries. More than 78,000 whose remains were not recovered are listed on the Tablets of the Missing located at these cemeteries and on East Coast and West Coast Memorials in the US. The commission will send you a beautiful brochure and the exact location of your veteran's grave or listing on the Tablet of the Missing. They will also send a photograph of the cemetery with a photo of the veteran's marker, or a photo of his name on the Tablet of the Missing superimposed. This commission only has records of all whose bodies were buried in American overseas cemeteries and those whose names are engraved on the Tablets of the Missing.
Contact:
American Battle Monuments Commission Operations
Court House Plaza 2, Suite 500, 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington VA 22201
Phone: (703) 696-6897 Fax: (703) 696-6666
You can access information on the war dead buried overseas and on ABMC memorials at their website: ABMC Website.
If your loved one was NOT buried overseas you can view information on ALL war dead (by state) at the National Archives website: http://www.nara.gov. Using NAIL: Select Digital Copies Search; Enter War Casualties in the first Keywords box; Enter Army or Navy; in the second Keywords box; Select Submit Search; Select Display Results. You will need to browse by State and by County. No index to names is available at this time.
(Sources for this information: Touchstones: A Guide To Records Rights And Resources for Families of WWII Casualties -- by Ann Bennett Mix; and AWON member-researcher Col. Jack Forgy (ret.), February, 2004.
Additional Information
saved from an E-Mail to the MSU/AWON ListServ by Jack Forgy ~ dated Friday, July 14, 2000
For a better appreciation of the scope of the 1973 Fire in St Louis go to the NPRC Web page at: NPRC Website.
You may also download the Standard Form 180 from this site at: NPRC Website - Form 180.
The fire actually destroyed millions of records, so your chances of obtaining the Personnel Records jacket are not good. But if it has been years since your last request, it would be worth another submission as something may have been discovered.
Also there are alternate records such as Morning Reports and the Surgeon General's Medical Tape which were not burned in the fire.Your chances of success are increased if you are very specific in what you ask for. Based on an AWON visit to NPRC ~ we have recommended several times in the past that you state the following in Para 3, Section II of the SF 180:
"I would like a copy of all documents in my father's personnel records file. If his records were burned or are missing I would like to have his personnel file reconstructed. If the record is reconstructed, I would like a copy of all documents used to reconstruct his file and prove his service. The copies of the records I am requesting should include, but should not be limited to the following: Official Military Personnel File, Final Pay Voucher, Medical Records to include the SGO Tape, Flight Records for Army Air Corps Personnel, Morning Reports for date of death, and Certificate of Service."
If you are requesting Morning Reports, submit a separate request and ask for only one date, preferably the date the soldier died. If you ask for a complex search you will probably be told to hire a researcher or come in person. If you are requesting Awards and Decorations, I would also suggest submitting a separate request for those only, as it takes a long time to get a response. Only Army and Army Air Corps Records were burned. Navy and Marine Corps Records were not. Finally, it is never a good idea to fib on government forms.
Sincerely,
Jack Forgy
Warrenton, VA