# Is there an easy way to find my dad's military service records? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 5, 2017, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641 "2017-12-05T16:39:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641/1 "2017-12-05T16:39:49Z")
My dad served in WWII, somewhere in New Guinea, for some period of time. He died before I knew that I should have asked him more detailed questions about what he did over there. Is there an easy way to find out what units he served in, where he was stationed, when he was there, things like that? I do not have any military paperwork from him from back then, just photos. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641/2 "2017-12-05T16:46:37Z")
Yes there is for next of kin. I’ll be able to find the link in a few. However, be prepared to be disappointed. A lot of those records literally went up in smoke in a 1972 fire. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641/3 "2017-12-05T16:50:21Z")
This link walks you through the process. > **[Requesting Military Personnel Records](https://www.military.com/benefits/records-and-forms/requesting-military-personnel-records.html)** > > It is usually a simple process to request copies of your official military records The fire was in 1973. Files that were affected were recreated as best they could. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641/4 "2017-12-05T16:52:13Z")
It may be difficult unless you know his service number. You can request information, but it’s kind of a Catch-22 because they will ask for his dates of service etc in order to obtain it. More information is [here.](https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records) Next of kin can request information but this requires providing proof of death. The information they ask for includes: The veteran’s complete name used while in service Service number Social security number Branch of service Dates of service Date and place of birth (especially if the service number is not known). ---
**Author:** ![RunSilent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@RunSilent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RunSilent)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641/5 "2017-12-05T16:53:49Z")
I don’t know how to do a link, but go here: ``` www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records ``` ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641/6 "2017-12-05T16:57:24Z")
Thank you all! I have most of the required information (I think even his service number), so I will try to see what I find. (I had heard about that fire, but never realized it could have destroyed his records, too.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641/7 "2017-12-05T17:14:45Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Thank you all! I have most of the required information (I think even his service number), so I will try to see what I find. > > (I had heard about that fire, but never realized it could have destroyed his records, too.) About 80% of the Army records of those discharged between 1912 and 1960 were lost. > **[The 1973 Fire, National Personnel Records Center](https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/fire-1973)** > > The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) Fire: A Study in Disaster Overview: On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF). ---
**Author:** ![PlumBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@PlumBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlumBob)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641/8 "2017-12-05T17:25:46Z")
In order to obtain VA benefits for my mother I am researching the same thing. Thanks for asking the question OP. Dad served in the Pacific, by his accounts he had a good time ,never saw action, snorkeled and hung out on the beach. He said he was a very lucky man. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641/9 "2017-12-05T17:41:43Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > About 80% of the Army records of those discharged between 1912 and 1960 were lost. > > [The 1973 Fire, National Personnel Records Center | National Archives](https://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/fire-1973.html) Wow! The part of that article that fascinated me: > [@](#): > > how to dry the millions of water-soaked records. . . it was discovered that McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corporation in St. Louis had vacuum-drying facilities, . . . . The vacuum-dry process took place in a chamber that had previously been utilized to simulate temperature and pressure conditions for the Mercury and Gemini space missions. The chamber was large enough to accommodate approximately 2,000 plastic mi. . . . For each chamber load, they were able to extract approximately 8 pounds of water per container - the equivalent of nearly 8 total tons of water for each session. In addition to utilizing two more supplemental drying chambers at McDonnell Douglas, the NPRC also sent records to a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facility in Ohio for drying. That’s a lot of water. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641/10 "2017-12-05T21:07:24Z")
I have a short-term subscription to Fold3 via Ancestry; if you’d like, I can search. PM me. ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641/11 "2017-12-06T20:36:58Z")
You can also submit a FOIA request on anyone who has ever been in the military. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641/12 "2017-12-07T18:03:57Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It may be difficult unless you know his service number. You can request information, but it’s kind of a Catch-22 because they will ask for his dates of service etc in order to obtain it. I’ve obtained records on service members from NARA without service numbers, and on one occasion even without knowing all of the serviceman’s branches. I did have the SSNs and DOBs, though, and it took a long time - over a year. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641/13 "2017-12-07T21:56:40Z")
British WW1 personnel records also suffered a similar amount of loss of data due to an air raid in 1940. You are lucky if your subject’s file has survived. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-easy-way-to-find-my-dads-military-service-records/803641/14 "2017-12-07T22:13:10Z")
If you do find out his units and if he was in a combat unit you may be able to find out more specifics through the unit’s after action reports. Those documents were not stored wherevthd fire occurred and many are online. Do you have any of his old patches or uniforms?