Obtaining Veteran Service Documents

FORT KNOX, KY — Army veterans who served on active duty or in the Army Reserve, and the family members of those veterans, are eligible to receive service-related documents for free through a number of official sources.

Soldiers who separated in October 2002 or later can submit a signed Standard Form 180/Request Pertaining to Military Records (www.archives.gov/research/order/standard-form-180.pdf) to the U.S. Army Human Resources Command using one of the following methods: a signed request can be scanned and emailed to askhrc.army@us.army.mil, or mailed to:

U.S. Army Human Resources Command
ATTN: AHRC-PDR-V/ Department 420
1600 Spearhead Division Ave
Fort Knox, KY  40122-5402

Soldiers who separated prior to October 2002 should submit a signed SF 180 to the National Archives and Records Administration’s National Personnel Records Center at:       

National Personnel Records Center
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, MO 63138
or call the NPRC at 314-801-0800
http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/

National Guard Soldiers are encouraged to contact their State Adjutant General.  Contact information for each State National Guard Agency can be found at http://www.nationalguard.mil/resources/states.aspx.

Veterans can also access their information directly through a joint partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense known as eBenefits.  For more information about eBenefits, visit http://www.ebenefits.va.gov/.

The Army Human Resources Command also provides veterans with services such as creating DD Form 215s, updating retirement points for Reserve Component Soldiers, verifying veterans’ service for VA home loans, and providing statements of service for veterans' employment verification.  You can contact HRC directly by calling 1-888-ARMYHRC (276-9472).

Many “for profit” third-party commercial businesses are charging for the services described above, often advertising that they can expedite processing or delivery times for documents.  These claims are false, because no increased levels of service or access to veteran records are provided to these commercial entities.  By requesting these documents directly through the government agencies listed, you can eliminate the middle man, saving yourself time and money.