Where can I lookup Military Service Records?
Active Duty Military
For active duty service members, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) requires the DoD to make available a public database lookup service.
The SCRA web site provides an ability to verify whether an individual is currently serving on active duty in the US military.
Prior Service Military
The two main repositories for records relating to prior military service are:
- The National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.
- The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri.
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, 1789 - 1904 Some officers, 1789 - 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 |
To order military service records from Washington, D.C., use 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.
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. |
| 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. |
| US Navy | Officers separated after 1901 Enlisted personnel separated after 1884 |
| US Marine Corps | Officers separated after 1904 Enlisted personnel separated after 1905 |
| 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. |
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.
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