Access to Military Service and Pension Records
Neither the Department of Defense (DoD) nor the National Personnel Records Center intend to destroy any OMPFs stored at the Center. The purpose of any electronic scanning would be to reduce the handling of fragile records during the reference process or to reduce the time necessary to locate and answer an OMPF inquiry.
The National Archives and Records Administration preserves and protects OMPFs because they are permanently valuable records that document the essential evidence of military service for the veterans of our nation. More...
What's New?
-
If you are a veteran or next-of-kin of a deceased veteran, you may now use
eVetRecs
to order copies of military records (or use the paper form,
SF-180).
- Ordering online is available
to order copies of:
- Federal military pension applications for military service from the American Revolution up to before World War I.
- Bounty-land warrant applications for Federal military service before 1856.
- Compiled military service records for regular forces up to before World War I.
Introduction
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is 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. Paper copies of military service and pension records can be ordered by mail from the facility which holds the records (see below).
Note: Individual military records are not online. However, sample military service records have been digitized and can be found in the Archival Research Catalog (ARC)
The two main repositories for records relating to military service are:
- The National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.
- The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri.
Military Records Holdings in Washington, D.C.
The National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., holds records relating to:
Branch of Service | Dates |
---|---|
Volunteers | Military service performed by persons serving during an emergency and
whose service was considered to be in the Federal interest, 1775 -
1902 |
Regular Army | Enlisted personnel, 1789 - October 31, 1912 Officers, 1789 - June 30, 1917 |
Navy | Enlisted personnel, 1798 - 1885 Officers, 1798 - 1902 |
Marine Corps | Enlisted personnel, 1798 - 1904 Some officers, 1798 - 1895 |
Coast Guard | Persons who served in predecessor agencies to the U.S. Coast Guard:
the Revenue Cutter Service (Revenue Marine), the Life-Saving Service, and
the Lighthouse Service, 1791 - 1919 |
Confederate States | Persons who rendered military service for the Confederate States government in its armed forces, 1861 - 1865 |
Veterans Records | Claims files for pensions based on Federal military service, 1775 -
1916 and Bounty land warrant application files relating to claims based on wartime service, 1775 - 1855 |
Ordering Copies
To order military service records from Washington, D.C.,
order online or the
NATF
Form 86.
Copies of military pension claim files for military service from the American Revolution
up to before World War I and bounty-land warrant applications for Federal
military service before 1856 can now be
ordered online,
as well as through NATF
Form 85.
Military Records Holdings in St. Louis, Missouri
The National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, holds military personnel files of later military service records.
Branch of Service | Dates |
---|---|
U.S. Army | Officers separated after June 29, 1917 Enlisted personnel separated after October 31, 1912 Note: Many records were destroyed by fire in the St. Louis Center in 1973. Personnel records of Army members discharged/retired after September 30, 2002, are retained in electronic format by the Army. NPRC has access to the Army's electronic system and will respond to requests for those records. |
US Air Force | Officers and enlisted personnel separated after September 24, 1947 Note: Many records were destroyed by fire in the St. Louis Center in 1973. Personnel records of Air Force members discharged/retired after September 30, 2004, are retained in electronic format by the Air Force and are not transferred to NPRC. |
US Navy | Officers separated after 1901 Enlisted personnel separated after 1884 Personnel records of Navy members discharged/retired after December 31, 1994, are retained in electronic format by the Navy and are not transferred to NPRC. |
US Marine Corps | Officers separated after 1904 Enlisted personnel separated after 1905 Personnel records of Marine Corps members discharged/retired after December 31, 1999, are retained in electronic format by the Marine Corps and are not transferred to NPRC. |
US Coast Guard | Officers separated after 1897 Enlisted personnel separated after 1905 |
U.S. Coast Guard predecessor agencies | Civilian employees of agencies such as Revenue Cutter Service, Lifesaving Service, and Lighthouse Service, retired after 1919. |
Ordering Copies
To order records from St. Louis:
- If you are a veteran or next-of-kin of a deceased veteran, use
eVetRecs, at vetrecs.archives.gov (or use the
paper form, SF-180).
- All others, use Standard Form 180.
Access to Military Service Records is limited. See Services for Veterans, Next-of-Kin, or the Veteran's Representative for more information.
For more information about researching military service records, see: