How To Find Out About My National Guard Service Records

Well-nigh Military Service Records and Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs, DD Form 214)

If you've been discharged from military service, your personnel files are stored here at the National Archives and Records Assistants (NARA). We are the official repository for records of military personnel who have been discharged from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard.

War machine personnel records are primarily administrative records and can contain data such every bit:

enlistment/appointment
duty stations and assignments
training, qualifications, operation
awards and medals
disciplinary actions
insurance
emergency information
administrative remarks
separation/discharge/retirement (including DD Form 214, Written report of Separation, or equivalent)
and other personnel deportment.

Detailed information about the veteran's participation in armed forces battles and engagements is NOT contained in the record.

Most Official Military Personnel Files incorporate both personnel and active duty health records, but this practise was discontinued by the service branches beginning in 1992. Encounter Military machine Medical and Wellness Records for more details.

The National Archives' National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) stores records of individual military service pertaining to quondam service members who no longer have a service obligation. Included are records of veterans who are completely discharged (with no remaining reserve commitment), or who are retired or have died. Records are usually transferred to NPRC within six months later on these events. NPRC does not have records of members who are all the same in the active or inactive reserves or in the National Guard. The records of each military service department on file at NPRC are listed under Location of War machine Service Records.

In an effort to expand admission to and ensure the preservation of the records, the National Archives and Records Assistants (NARA) together with the Department of Defence force (DOD) developed a schedule, signed July viii, 2004, making the Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF) permanent records of the Us. This schedule mandates the legal transfer of these files from DOD ownership to NARA ownership 62 years after the service member'southward separation from the military.

As role of the initial transfer, the records of 1.2 million veterans who served with the Us Navy and Marine Corps were opened to the public in July 2005. In addition, 200 OMPFs of "Persons of Exceptional Prominence" (PEP files) - such every bit Presidents, members of Congress and the Supreme Court; famous military leaders; decorated heroes; celebrities; and other cultural figures who served in the armed services - were too fabricated available to the public for the first time (see beneath for additional data).

In November 2007, NARA opened to the public 6.3 million OMPFs of sometime armed services personnel who served in the United States Army (including Regular army Air Corps and Ground forces Air Forces), Navy, Marine Corps and Declension Guard. In September 2009, marking the 62nd anniversary of the cosmos of the United States Air Force, NARA accepted the first block of Air Force records into its custody.

Records of individuals who left service less than 62 years agone are non-archival and are maintained under the Federal Records Center programme. Federal (non-archival) OMPFs are subject area to admission restrictions, and only limited data or copies of documents from these records may exist released to the general public within the provisions of the law. The Freedom of Information Deed (FOIA) and the Privacy Human action provide balance between the correct of the public to obtain information from armed services service records and the right of the former military service member to protect his/her privacy. See Federal Records Center Program to access these records.

Based on a rolling date of 62 years, all military personnel records will somewhen become archival records, open to the general public.

Records of Persons of Exceptional Prominence (PEP)
The 2004 NARA and DOD schedule as well allows for the transfer of OMPF'south of "Persons of Exceptional Prominence" (PEP), equally soon as ten years subsequently the individual's date of death. This "early" opening of the records to the public is based upon the desire of the National Archives and the DOD to brand the records of historically significant individuals available for research. PEP records document the armed forces service of Presidents, members of Congress and the Supreme Courtroom; famous armed forces leaders; busy heroes; celebrities; and other cultural figures.

As part of the initial transfer of records, a choice of approximately 200 records of Persons of Exceptional Prominence who had been deceased ten years or more were opened to the public. Additional records of eligible individuals accept been added (and will keep to be added) as transfer agreements are reached with the respective military service departments. To date, approximately 500 individual PEP records are open to the public. Run across PEP Records for access.

Additional information on the contents of Military Service Records and Personnel Files:

Content of the Official Military Personnel File
Special Discover to Veterans and Family Members regarding requests for copies of military personnel and/or medical files

DD Class 214, Discharge Papers and Separation Documents

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

Appointment and place of entry into active duty
Home address at time of entry
Date and place of release from agile duty
Home address subsequently separation
Final duty consignment and rank
Military machine task specialty
War machine didactics
Decorations, medals, badges, citations, and campaign awards
Total creditable service
Strange service credited
Separation information (type of separation, character of service, authority and reason for separation, separation and reenlistment eligibility codes)

The report of separation class issued in most recent years is the DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Belch from Agile Duty. Before Jan 1, 1950, several like forms were used by the military services, including the WD Ago 53, WD Agone 55, WD Ago 53-55, NAVPERS 553, NAVMC 78PD, and the NAVCG 553.

To get copies of DD Form 214, Discharge Papers or Separation Documents:

Utilise the eVetRecs request organisation
Mail service or Fax Standard Form SF-180