Info needed on my father

[colmurph]

Originally Posted by tarheel

I requested records from NARA, they sent his record for 74-78. The dates on those were wrong. They had his school dates and a few others wrong, and my mom said they didn't make sense. He has also said a fire destroyed his records. He has a silver star lapel pin and I know the integrity of my father, he wouldn't wear it if he didn't earn it. He wore it and the vietnam pin when he went to my brother's graduation for basic. that was the first time we saw that.

He repeatedly speaks of something that happened at Dak To where air support was brought in very close to where his unit was. I had contacted someone from the 25th and they told me it was active in that area from 68-70. He also has spoken of saving a medic who later died. He was injured three times, we know that. My mom knows he served before '74 she saw his uniforms. It's not a simple matter of just asking him. He doesn't talk about it, he won't. He will be 58, I wish he could have some peace. With my brother serving in Iraq, it has brought back a lot of memories for him. Maybe when my brother gets home, they can talk of things together.

The fire at St. Louis destroyed some WWII records but NO Vietnam records were lost.

[SuperScout]

tarheel - not to sound repetitious, but have you seen your father's DD 214? This form is really the focal point of how to proceed with any further discussions.

[David]

The 1973 Fire at the National Personnel Records Center (St. Louis, MO)






On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at NPRC (MPR) destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files. The affected record collections are described below.

Branch	Personnel and Period Affected	Estimated Loss
Army	Personnel discharged November 1, 1912, to January 1, 1960	80%
Air Force	Personnel discharged, September 25, 1947, to January 1, 1964 (with names alphabetically after Hubbard, James E.)	75%

No duplicate copies of the records that were destroyed in the fire were maintained, nor was a microfilm copy ever produced. There were no indexes created prior to the fire. In addition, millions of documents had been lent to the Department of Veterans Affairs before the fire occurred. Therefore, a complete listing of the records that were lost is not available. Nevertheless, NPRC (MPR) uses many alternate sources in its efforts to reconstruct basic service information to respond to requests.


Alternate Record Sources

Alternate Sources of Military Service Data. When proof of military service is needed, NPRC (MPR) attempts to reconstruct certain basic service data from alternate sources. NPRC (MPR) has identified many of these sources, but each contains only limited military service information. They are utilized to piece together (reconstruct) basic service data.

It is essential that requesters collect as much information from old personal papers before submitting a request pertaining to records from the fire-related collections. Good information on a request helps NPRC (MPR) identify which sources to research for reconstructing basic service data. If insufficient information is received the requester will be asked to provide additional information. In those instances the requester may receive NA Form 13075, Questionnaire About Military Service and/or NA Form 13055, Request for Information Needed to Reconstruct Medical Data. (attached to post below)

Personnel-Related Alternate Sources. A primary source of alternate data is a collection of 19 million final pay vouchers. These records provide name, service number, dates of service, and character of service. These are the most critical service data elements needed for the reconstruction process. With these and other organizational records (enlistment ledgers, service number indexes, etc.), NPRC (MPR) personnel can usually verify military service and provide a Certification of Military Service. This Certification can be used for any purpose for which the original discharge document was used, including the application for veterans benefits.

Medical-Related Alternate Records. In 1988, a collection of computer tapes containing ten million hospital/treatment facility admission records was transferred to NPRC (MPR). These records, originally created by the U.S. Army Surgeon General's Office (SGO), were discovered by the National Academy of Sciences and offered to the National Archives for use by NPRC (MPR). The source records existed in a computer code format and required extensive analysis to interpret the code into English. Between 1988-1990, NPRC (MPR) was able to salvage 7.8 million records of individual admissions for use as a major supplement to other smaller sources of medical information.

The subjects of the records were active duty Army and Army Air Corps personnel in service between 1942 to 1945. In addition, active duty Army personnel who served between 1950 and 1954 and a limited number of Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and military cadet personnel for the same period (about 5% of the 1950-54 file) are included.

The admissions records are not specific or detailed medical documents, but summarized information indexed by military service number. They contain limited medical treatment information, but diagnosis, type of operation, and dates/places of treatment or hospitalization are frequently included. Although no names are shown, patients are identified by military service number and certain personal data including age, race, sex and place of birth. THESE RECORDS ARE NOT DUPLICATES OF THE ORIGINAL MEDICAL TREATMENT FILES LOST IN THE 1973 FIRE AT NPRC (MPR). They were created using data sampling techniques for statistical purposes. Therefore, the listings are not complete and many admissions were skipped during the sampling process. Nevertheless, the information is useful as proof to support certain benefit claims.

See Services Available to the Public or Services Available to Government Agencies for instructions on preparing written requests for information from Official Military Personnel Records including Active Duty Health Records.

[David]

DD Form 214, Discharge Papers and Separation Documents




A Report of Separation is generally issued when a service member performs active duty or at least 90 consecutive days of active duty training. The Report of Separation contains information normally needed to verify military service for benefits, retirement, employment, and membership in veterans' organizations. Information shown on the Report of Separation may include the service member's:

• Date and place of entry into active duty
• Home address at time of entry
• Date and place of release from active duty
• Home address after separation
• Last duty assignment and rank
• Military job specialty
• Military education
• Decorations, medals, badges, citations, and campaign awards
• Total creditable service
• Foreign service credited
• Separation information (type of separation, character of service, authority and reason for separation, separation and reenlistment eligibility codes)

The report of separation form issued in most recent years is the DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. Before January 1, 1950, several similar forms were used by the military services, including the WD AGO 53, WD AGO 55, WD AGO 53-55, NAVPERS 553, NAVMC 78PD, and the NAVCG 553.


Military Record Requests: Standard Form SF-180

1. How to Obtain Standard Form 180 (SF-180),
Request Pertaining to Military Records




There are several ways to obtain an SF-180. You can:

1. Download and print a copy of the SF-180 in PDF format.
   • You need access to a printer and the Adobe Acrobat Reader software (see link at the bottom of the page). The form is a total of 3 pages.
   • The SF-180 is formatted for letter size paper (8.5" x 11"). If your printer can not accommodate this, select "shrink to fit" when the Adobe Acrobat Reader "Print" dialog box appears.
   • This is also a fillable version of the SF-180. It will allow you to type the needed information into the form using your keyboard. You will still need to print, sign and mail the form. Otherwise, it works the same as stated above.
   Standard Form 180 (attached to post below)
   
2. Contact Us to order the form through the mail.
3. Write to The National Personnel Records Center
   9700 Page Avenue
   St. Louis, Missouri 63132
   
   You may also be able to obtain the SF-180:
4. From Federal Information Centers
5. From local Veterans Administration offices
6. From veterans service organizations

The SF 180 may be photocopied as needed. Please submit a separate SF 180 for each individual whose records are being requested.


2. Write a Letter to Request Records



If you are not able to obtain SF-180, you may still submit a request for military records. Requests must contain enough information to identify the record among the more than 70 million on file at NPRC (MPR). Certain basic information is needed to locate military service records. This information includes:

• The veteran's complete name used while in service
• Service number or social security number
• Branch of service
• Dates of service
• Date and place of birth may also be helpful, especially if the service number is not known
• If the request pertains to a record that may have been involved in the 1973 fire, also include:
  • Place of discharge
  • Last unit of assignment
  • Place of entry into the service, if known.
• While this information is not required, it is extremely helpful to NPRC staff in understanding and fulfilling your request:
  • The purpose or reason for your request, such as applying for veterans benefits, preparing to retire, or researching your personal military history.
  • Any deadlines related to your request. We will do our best to meet any priorities. For example, you may be applying for a VA-guaranteed Home Loan and need to provide proof of military service by a specific date.
  • Any other specific information, documents or records you require from your Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) besides your Report of Separation (DD Form 214).

Please submit a separate request (either SF 180 or letter) for each individual whose records are being requested.