Army veterans who served on active duty or in the Army Guard and 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,” 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.

•Mail signed forms to:
U.S. Army Human
Resources Command
Attention: AHRC-PDR-V/Department 420
1600 Spearhead Division Ave.
Fort Knox, KY 40122-5402.

•Soldiers who separated before October 2002 should submit a signed SF 180 to the National Archives and Records Administration’s National Personnel Records Center:
National Personnel Records Center
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, MO 63132-1002.

•Call the NPRC directly at 314-801-0800.

National Guard Soldiers are encouraged to contact their State Adjutant General. Contact information for each State National Guard Agency can be found at 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 www.ebenefits.va.gov.

The Army HRC also provides veterans with services such as creating DD Form 215s, “Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty;” updating retirement points for Reserve component Soldiers; verifying veterans’ service for VA home loans; and providing statements of service for veterans employment verification.

Call the HRC directly by calling (888) 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, this method eliminates the middleman, and saves service members time and money.