2 Replies Latest reply on May 26, 2020 11:30 AM by Thomas Richardson

    Seeking military history records of grandparents & uncle

    Reine Smith Newbie
    Reine Smith May 26, 2020 9:42 AM

      How do we get the Military history records for deceased grandparent, when all children are deceased or missing? We are trying to obtain the military records for my wife's grandparents and uncle. All were career military and are all buried in a National Cemetery. Her mother has passed and the one other aunt is homeless and missing and has not been heard from in years. My wife's knows almost nothing about her grandparents military service, except that her grandmother was a nurse is WWII and that her grandfather was in WWII and her uncle was in the Navy in Vietnam. We have their birth and death dates and rank as they are on the headstones at the cemetery. We also know where they were last based. Everything that I have read, says that we can't get this records until 62 years has passed. We are not sure of the retirement dates but are sure that it was later than 1965. We know where her uncle was last in a military hospital for surgery. Who do we get in touch with, or are we just out of luck until the 62 years passes?

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        • Re: Seeking military history records of grandparents & uncle
          Elliot Schneider Navigator
          Elliot Schneider May 26, 2020 10:14 AM (in response to Reine Smith)

          Reine,

           

          You will need to fill out as much as you can on the SF-180, under "other section" you will need to put FOIA or Freedom of Information Act. Then this way the NPRC will redact that information.

           

           

          Thanks,

           

          Elliot Schneider

          • Re: Seeking military history records of grandparents & uncle
            Thomas Richardson Tracker
            Thomas Richardson Expert May 26, 2020 11:30 AM (in response to Reine Smith)

            Dear Reine Smith,

             

            Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

             

            To seek the records of your wife’s family members, please begin by requesting a copy of his/her Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). OMPFs for those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces after 1958 and prior to 1999 are in the custody of NARA's National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. In many cases where Army and Air Force 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, and a certificate of military service will be issued. Navy and Marine Corps OMPFs were not affected by the fire. 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. You also may fax the form to 314-801-9195. Veterans and their next of kin also may use eVetRecs to request records. See eVetRecs Help for instructions. Certain information in the records is not available to the general public without the written consent of the veteran or his next of kin. For more information see Request Military Service Records.

             

            You also may submit a Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA) request to the National Personnel Records Center for basic military information that is releasable under FOIA guidelines. Please submit the same SF-180 to the NPRC, as mentioned in the previous post,  and include “FOIA” under Section II, 2. Purpose, Explain here.

             

            Due to the coronavirus public health emergency, the National Personnel Records Center is servicing only urgent requests related to homeless veterans, medical emergencies, and funerals which may be faxed to 314-801-0764.  We thank you for your patience and look forward to resuming normal operations when the public health emergency has ended.

             

            We hope this is helpful.