Seeking military records of Henry Cruz

Dear Ms. Garza,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

To obtain his DD-214, we suggest that you request a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). OMPFs and medical records of enlisted men of the U.S. Navy who were separated from the service after 1885 and prior to 1959 are located at NARA's National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO  63138-1002.  To request these records, please mail a completed GSA Standard Form 180 to NPRC.  You also may fax the form to 314-801-9195 OR view the record by visiting the NPRC Archival Research Room in St. Louis, MO. Veterans and their next of kin 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. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NPRC is closed except for emergencies. Currently, NPRC will continue servicing requests ONLY associated with medical treatments, burials, and homeless veterans seeking admittance to a homeless shelter. Please refrain from submitting non-emergency requests such as replacement medals, administrative corrections, or records research until NPRC returns to pre-COVID staffing levels. Please check archives.gov/veterans for updates to the NPRC operating hours and status. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Additionally, we searched the National Archives Catalog and located Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, 1/1/1939 - 1/1/1949 in the Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel (Record Group 24) which includes Arizona (BB-39), 1/31/39-3/31/42.  The muster rolls list Henry M. Cruz several times, with the first listing being on image 29.  His service number is 421 03 83 and his enlistment date is given as 1 February 1940. Please use this information when requesting his service record.

Additionally, your grandfather’s service on the USS Arizona is mentioned in numerous online sources: 

• https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/06/us/in-hawaii-survivors-tell-tales-of-dec-7.html
• http://www.ussarizona.org/index.php/features/lists/uss-arizona-survivor-list/98-cruz-henry-mesa
• https://www.greenwoodmemorial.com/obituaries/Henry-Cruz-38395-76651/#!/Obituary
• https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/saluting_pearl_harbor_survivor_henry_mesa_cruz_san_diego/1937345/
• https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-24-me-237-story.html
• https://www.pearl-harbor.com/arizona/survivorlist.html
• https://s3.amazonaws.com/khphp/khphp-1027.pdf

You may wish to ask your local American Legion if they are willing to accept these alternative sources until you receive a reply from NPRC.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!