Where can I find detailed WWII military records for my father, who was in the army? He enlisted in 1940 and I believe he came home in 1943. Service# 32012971.
Where can I find detailed WWII military records for my father, who was in the army? He enlisted in 1940 and I believe he came home in 1943. Service# 32012971.
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If you have not yet done so, we would recommend that you request his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). OMPFs for Army enlisted personnel who were separated from service after November 1, 1912 (July 1, 1917 for officers) are serviced by NARA's National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis. In many cases where personnel records were destroyed in the 1973 fire, proof of service can be provided from other records such as morning reports, payrolls, and military orders.
We also suggest that you review the following History Hub blog, What the 1973 NPRC Fire Means to Your Family’s Military History for more information about how this may impact your request for your father’s OMPF and what you can expect to receive. Also, it is a good idea to select “benefits” as the purpose of your request since it may increase your chances of obtaining a document called a Report of Separation, which will provide additional information about his service. If possible, auxiliary records, such as a Final Payment Voucher, may be located. Such documents may provide details about his return trip to the US after the war. However, please note that we cannot guarantee any records will be located.
We located some additional information regarding your father’s length of service on Fold3.com. It indicates he may have served from 1940 to 1946, here Index record for Herbert F Janthor by showing an enlistment date of November 30, 1940 and here, Index record for Herbert Janthor (1918) US, Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 which appears to show a second enlistment term from 1943 to 1946. Please note that websites such as Fold3.com or Ancestry.com typically charge fees, so you may wish to check with your local public library or university library as these institutions often provide access to websites such as these. We have included screenshots for you below.
Veterans and next of kin of deceased veterans may use eVetRecs to request records. See eVetRecs Help for instructions. Please note that next of kin of a deceased veteran must provide proof of death of the veteran such as a copy of death certificate, letter from funeral home, or published obituary. For more information see Request Military Service Records.
You may instead complete a GSA Standard Form 180 and mail it to NARA's National Personnel Records Center, (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138-1002. If there is any information requested by the form that you do not know, you may omit it or provide estimates (such as for dates), but the more information you provide, the easier it will be to locate the correct file. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF).
Military personnel records are opened to the public 62 years after the veteran leaves the service. If fewer than 62 years have passed since the veteran’s discharge date (to include any reserve time), certain information in the records is not available to the general public without the written consent of the veteran or the next of kin the deceased veteran. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Non-Archival Holdings.
Archival OMPFs, those that are 62 years and older, may also be requested by visiting the Archival Research Room at the National Archives at St. Louis. Please email stlarr.archives@nara.gov for further assistance prior to making an appointment.
We hope this is helpful to your research!
Thank you for posting your question to History Hub!
If you have not yet done so, we would recommend that you request his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). OMPFs for Army enlisted personnel who were separated from service after November 1, 1912 (July 1, 1917 for officers) are serviced by NARA's National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis. In many cases where personnel records were destroyed in the 1973 fire, proof of service can be provided from other records such as morning reports, payrolls, and military orders.
We also suggest that you review the following History Hub blog, What the 1973 NPRC Fire Means to Your Family’s Military History for more information about how this may impact your request for your father’s OMPF and what you can expect to receive. Also, it is a good idea to select “benefits” as the purpose of your request since it may increase your chances of obtaining a document called a Report of Separation, which will provide additional information about his service. If possible, auxiliary records, such as a Final Payment Voucher, may be located. Such documents may provide details about his return trip to the US after the war. However, please note that we cannot guarantee any records will be located.
We located some additional information regarding your father’s length of service on Fold3.com. It indicates he may have served from 1940 to 1946, here Index record for Herbert F Janthor by showing an enlistment date of November 30, 1940 and here, Index record for Herbert Janthor (1918) US, Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 which appears to show a second enlistment term from 1943 to 1946. Please note that websites such as Fold3.com or Ancestry.com typically charge fees, so you may wish to check with your local public library or university library as these institutions often provide access to websites such as these. We have included screenshots for you below.
Veterans and next of kin of deceased veterans may use eVetRecs to request records. See eVetRecs Help for instructions. Please note that next of kin of a deceased veteran must provide proof of death of the veteran such as a copy of death certificate, letter from funeral home, or published obituary. For more information see Request Military Service Records.
You may instead complete a GSA Standard Form 180 and mail it to NARA's National Personnel Records Center, (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138-1002. If there is any information requested by the form that you do not know, you may omit it or provide estimates (such as for dates), but the more information you provide, the easier it will be to locate the correct file. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF).
Military personnel records are opened to the public 62 years after the veteran leaves the service. If fewer than 62 years have passed since the veteran’s discharge date (to include any reserve time), certain information in the records is not available to the general public without the written consent of the veteran or the next of kin the deceased veteran. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Non-Archival Holdings.
Archival OMPFs, those that are 62 years and older, may also be requested by visiting the Archival Research Room at the National Archives at St. Louis. Please email stlarr.archives@nara.gov for further assistance prior to making an appointment.
We hope this is helpful to your research!