#National archives military records dd214 how to
#National archives military records dd214 series

#National archives military records dd214 how to

In the days following the fire, recovery teams faced the issue of how to salvage fire-damaged records as well as how to dry the millions of water-soaked records. So from a purely historic or genealogical perspective, that material was lost forever.” “We can usually prove eligibility for benefits and get the vet or next of kin their entitlements however, we cannot recreate the individual file to what it was-we don't know what was specifically in each file, and each of these was as different as each of us as individuals. “Unfortunately, the loss of 16–18 million individual records has had a significant impact on the lives of not only those veterans, but also on their families and dependents,” McGraw said.

#National archives military records dd214 series

However, in the years following the fire, the NPRC collected numerous series of records (referred to as Auxiliary Records) that are used to reconstruct basic service information.īryan McGraw, access coordinator at the NPRC, emphasized the gravity of the loss of the actual primary source records. In addition, approximately 75 percent of Air Force personnel records for those discharged from September 25, 1947, through Janu(with names alphabetically after Hubbard, James E.) were also destroyed in the catastrophe. The estimated loss of Army personnel records for those discharged from November 1, 1912, to January 1, 1950, was about 80 percent.

This work led to the recovery of approximately 6.5 million burned and water-damaged records, Levins said. Standing water-combined with the high temperatures and humidity-created a situation ripe for mold growth. Removal and salvage of water- and fire-damaged records from the building was the most important priority, according to NPRC Director Scott Levins. Thanks to such recovery efforts and the use of alternate sources to reconstruct files, today's NPRC is able to continue its primary mission of serving our country's military and civil servants.” “In the aftermath of the blaze, recovery and reconstruction efforts took place at an unprecedented level.

“In terms of loss to the cultural heritage of our nation, the 1973 NPRC fire was an unparalleled disaster,” Archivist of the United States David S. Even before the final flames were out, staff at the NPRC had begun work toward these efforts as vital records were removed from the burning building for safekeeping. The National Archives focused its immediate attention on salvaging as much as possible and quickly resuming operations at the facility.

Due to the extensive damage, investigators were never able to determine the source of the fire. The fire burned out of control for 22 hours and it took two days before firefighters were able to re-enter the building. Shortly after midnight on July 12, 1973, a fire was reported at the NPRC's military personnel records building in St. Louis, Missouri, that destroyed approximately 16–18 million Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF) documenting the service history of former military personnel discharged from 1912 to 1964. WASHINGTON, JThe National Archives and Records Administration recently marked the 45th anniversary of a devastating fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri, damaged or destroyed approximately 16–18 million Official Military Personnel Files documenting the service history of former military personnel discharged from 1912 to 1964. Enlarge On July 12, 1973, a devastating fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St.