How to Find War Records

Finding military records

Military records are useful to prove military service or to provide insight about a particular veteran and how he or she served this country. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), located in St. Louis, Missouri, contains records of over 70 million veterans who have served the U.S. Armed Forces. Despite the vast number of records, finding specific records is relatively easy, provided you know enough information about the veteran you are researching.

Instructions

1. Gather as much of the following information about the veteran as you can: name used during service, Social Security number, birth date, place of birth, when the person entered the service, the branch he or she served in, the person's rank and service number, whether the person is still living, and whether the person retired from military service.

2. Download and print a copy of Form SF-180. This is the standard form used by the NPRC to request records. A copy of the form is available in the Resources below. Note that the form is not needed; if you wish, you can skip this step and simply write a letter to the NPRC.

3. Fill in SF-180 using the information you gathered about the veteran. SF-180 is self-explanatory and simply requires you to fill in the blanks. For those who choose not to use SF-180, draft a letter to the NPRC and ask for records pertaining to the veteran. Include all the information you gathered about the veteran in the letter.

4. Send the completed Form SF-180 or the letter to National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63132. Include any other information such as any deadlines related to your request. According to Archives.gov, the NPRC will do its best to meet deadlines, but requests may vary in terms of time based on each individual.

References

• Archives: Requesting Military Records

Resources

• Archives: Form SF-180