I’m looking to find out information on my father who served in the Army (approximately) between 1964-1974. I have this information on a document. I’m hoping someone else can help provide something. His name was Sammy Will Knight. He was stationed in Germany, where I was born in 1969. He also spent time at Fort Hood, Hawaii and enlisted in MD. I just need some answers, please!
Thanks!
His daughter, Kimberly
Thank you for posting your question on History Hub!
We suggest that you request a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) for those who served in the U.S. Army before October 2002 are in the custody of NARA's National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis. Please 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. Next of kin of veterans also may use eVetRecs to request records. See eVetRecs Help for instructions. 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. 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. As next of kin of a deceased veteran, you should provide proof of death of the veteran such as a copy of death certificate, letter from funeral home, or published obituary. Without proof of death, you will still get some information, but it will not be as complete as it would be otherwise. For more information see Request Military Service Records.
For a complete copy of a personnel file, in Section II, on the line for "Other" (Specify), write "Complete copy of every page of personnel file - not an extract."
Please be aware that NPRC is prioritizing the requests for separation documents needed by veterans and their dependents to prove eligibility for a variety of benefits. NPRC has restored service levels to pre-pandemic levels for requests related to burials, homeless veterans, medical emergencies, congressional inquiries, and routine separation documents. It will take longer to eliminate the backlog on other types of requests, such as genealogical requests for complete copies of records. For more information, please refer to Important Notice Regarding Backlog and Response Times at the National Personnel Records Center and the Plan to Eliminate Records Backlog at the National Personnel Records Center.
Additionally, if he registered for Selective Service, there may be a file for him. Selective Service records for individuals who registered after World War I and were born before 1960 are in the custody of the National Archives at St. Louis (RRPO). There are two types of records: cards and classification histories. The individual Draft Registration Card (SSS Form 1) may contain information such as: name, Selective Service registration number, age, date and place of birth, ethnicity, place of residence at time of registration and basic physical description. The Classification History (SSS Form 102) may contain: name; date of birth; classification and date of mailing notice; date of appeal to the board; date and results of armed forces physical examination; entry into active duty or civilian work in lieu of induction (may include date, branch of service entered and mode of entry, such as enlisted or ordered); date of separation from active duty or civilian work; and general remarks. Please complete a Form NA-13172 to request a search of these records and email it to RRPO at stl.archives@nara.gov.
For men who registered for the draft before 1976, all other individual draftee files besides the cards and classification histories were destroyed by the Selective Service System in 1978, in accordance with approved records retention schedules. Physical examination and test results, medical letters, laboratory work, and other medical documentation that may have been included in these files no longer exist.
If you are seeking genealogical information beyond that found in his military and (if applicable) Selective Service records, we suggest that you review NARA’s Resources for Genealogists, as well as the History Hub Blog titled Suggestions and Advice for Family History Researchers. Also, the FamilySearch Research wiki for United States Genealogy and the Library of Congress pages on We are trying to compile a family history, What free resources can I use for genealogy?, and Local History and Genealogy Reference Services may be useful.
For example, based on his estimated date of entry into military service, he may be listed in the 1950 Federal Census. If you need assistance with locating his potential entries in Census records, we suggest that you post a question in our Census Community with as many details as you might have, such as place and date of birth, and where he may have been living in 1950 (and/or earlier censuses, if applicable). Additionally, our Genealogy Community can provide advice on genealogical research, though the more specific you are about what information you already have and what you are still searching for, the easier it will be to give specific guidance.
We hope this assists you with your family research!
Sincerely,
Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RA)
23-66301-JA
Thank you for posting your question on History Hub!
We suggest that you request a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) for those who served in the U.S. Army before October 2002 are in the custody of NARA's National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis. Please 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. Next of kin of veterans also may use eVetRecs to request records. See eVetRecs Help for instructions. 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. 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. As next of kin of a deceased veteran, you should provide proof of death of the veteran such as a copy of death certificate, letter from funeral home, or published obituary. Without proof of death, you will still get some information, but it will not be as complete as it would be otherwise. For more information see Request Military Service Records.
For a complete copy of a personnel file, in Section II, on the line for "Other" (Specify), write "Complete copy of every page of personnel file - not an extract."
Please be aware that NPRC is prioritizing the requests for separation documents needed by veterans and their dependents to prove eligibility for a variety of benefits. NPRC has restored service levels to pre-pandemic levels for requests related to burials, homeless veterans, medical emergencies, congressional inquiries, and routine separation documents. It will take longer to eliminate the backlog on other types of requests, such as genealogical requests for complete copies of records. For more information, please refer to Important Notice Regarding Backlog and Response Times at the National Personnel Records Center and the Plan to Eliminate Records Backlog at the National Personnel Records Center.
Additionally, if he registered for Selective Service, there may be a file for him. Selective Service records for individuals who registered after World War I and were born before 1960 are in the custody of the National Archives at St. Louis (RRPO). There are two types of records: cards and classification histories. The individual Draft Registration Card (SSS Form 1) may contain information such as: name, Selective Service registration number, age, date and place of birth, ethnicity, place of residence at time of registration and basic physical description. The Classification History (SSS Form 102) may contain: name; date of birth; classification and date of mailing notice; date of appeal to the board; date and results of armed forces physical examination; entry into active duty or civilian work in lieu of induction (may include date, branch of service entered and mode of entry, such as enlisted or ordered); date of separation from active duty or civilian work; and general remarks. Please complete a Form NA-13172 to request a search of these records and email it to RRPO at stl.archives@nara.gov.
For men who registered for the draft before 1976, all other individual draftee files besides the cards and classification histories were destroyed by the Selective Service System in 1978, in accordance with approved records retention schedules. Physical examination and test results, medical letters, laboratory work, and other medical documentation that may have been included in these files no longer exist.
If you are seeking genealogical information beyond that found in his military and (if applicable) Selective Service records, we suggest that you review NARA’s Resources for Genealogists, as well as the History Hub Blog titled Suggestions and Advice for Family History Researchers. Also, the FamilySearch Research wiki for United States Genealogy and the Library of Congress pages on We are trying to compile a family history, What free resources can I use for genealogy?, and Local History and Genealogy Reference Services may be useful.
For example, based on his estimated date of entry into military service, he may be listed in the 1950 Federal Census. If you need assistance with locating his potential entries in Census records, we suggest that you post a question in our Census Community with as many details as you might have, such as place and date of birth, and where he may have been living in 1950 (and/or earlier censuses, if applicable). Additionally, our Genealogy Community can provide advice on genealogical research, though the more specific you are about what information you already have and what you are still searching for, the easier it will be to give specific guidance.
We hope this assists you with your family research!
Sincerely,
Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RA)
23-66301-JA
