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Re: Seeking military service records of Robert Irving Downs, Jr
1 person found this helpfulDiana,
Here is some information. Also when NPRC in St. Louis re-opens it may be worth obtaining his IDPFs (Individual Deceased Personnel File).
Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) from 1940-1976 for personnel with surnames that begin with A-L are in the custody of the National Archives at St. Louis (RL-SL), P.O. Box 38757, St. Louis, MO 63138-1002. For access to these records, please contact RL-SL via email at stl.archives@nara.gov.
Name: Robert I Downs Jr Gender: Male Race: Non-hispanic More Than One Race (Latino) Home City: Morris Home State: New Jersey Citizen Status: US Casualty Date: 25 Dec 1952 Casualty Country: Korea Casualty Type: ACCIDENT Service Branch: US Army Rank: Private Pay Grade: Private (U.S. Army) Or Airman Third Class (Airman) (U.S. Air Force) Or Private First Class (U.S. Marine Corps) Or Grade/Rate Abbreviations With First Column: A,C,D,F,H,S,Or T; Third And Fourth Columns: Blank (U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard) Previous Detail: BURIED - UNKNOWN DISP Disposed Date: 25 Dec 1952 
Hope this helps,
Elliot Schneider
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Re: Seeking military service records of Robert Irving Downs, Jr
Thomas Richardson
Nov 12, 2020 5:15 PM
Dear Ms. Edwards,
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
The information you seek may be contained in his Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF). IDPFs from 1940-1976 for personnel with surnames that begin with A-L are in the custody of the National Archives at St. Louis (RL-SL). For access to these records, please contact RL-SL via email at stl.archives@nara.gov.
We also suggest that you request a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). OMPFs and individual medical reports for those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces and who were separated from the service prior to 1958 are in the custody of NARA's National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. In many cases where Army and Army Air Corps 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. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RL-SL. Also, the NPRC closed again as of November 7, 2020 until further notice. NPRC will respond only to requests involving burials, medical emergencies, and homeless veterans. If your request is urgent, please see Emergency Requests and Deadlines or emergency requests may be faxed to (314) 801-0764. Please check archives.gov/veterans for updates to the NPRC operating hours and status. We apologize for any inconvenience.
We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!
