World War II service records, part 2

10 June 2006

Last month I wrote about the World War II Army enlistment records that are available online through the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Web site. I received several questions about the records so I thought it might be helpful if I shared the questions and my responses.

Q. What information is in a military service record?

A. Information that can be found in a military service record is enlistment data; duty stations and training assignments; qualifications, performance awards and medals; disciplinary actions; insurance information; emergency data; administrative remarks; separation, discharge, and retirement information; personnel actions. Detailed information about military battles are not included in these records.

Q. How do I find out if my father’s record was destroyed in the 1973 fire?

A. Write to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) to see if the record you are seeking survived. To request a copy of a military service record, use Form Standard Form 180 or use the EVetRecs System, both can be found at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service- records/get-service-records.html

NPRC Mailing Address:
National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
Phone number: 314-801-0800
Fax Number: 314-801-9195

To obtain these service records from NPRC, the person requesting the record must be the veteran or next-of- kin. Next-of-kin is defined as a widow or widower who did not remarry, son or daughter, father or mother, brother or sister of the deceased.

Q. If the record I am searching for was destroyed, what other records could be used as a substitute for the destroyed record?

A. NPRC tries to reconstruct the files for the military personnel that were lost in the 1973 fire, so always start by contacting NPRC first. The reconstruction is done with pay vouchers, enlistment ledgers, service number indexes and medical related records.

There are several alternate sources that can be used:

Discharge Papers–Many WWII veterans who were honorably discharged recorded their discharge at their local county courthouse. Check the courthouse in the county where the veteran lived immediately after they were discharged.
National Cemetery System–The Department of Veteran Affairs operates the National Cemetery System. Each person in the system had to prove military service to be buried in a National Cemetery. There is a national gravesite locator on the VA website at http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGL_v1
Casualty Lists–There are two databases on the National Archives and Records Administration website which list WWII casualties. They are State Summary of War Casualties from World War II for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Personnel and World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Both files can be found on the NARA website at http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/ww2/.

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