All Roads Lead to the National Archives
The NPRC: An Office of the National Archives
What is the NPRC? NPRC stands for the National Personnel Records Center, an office of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). It is located in St. Louis, Missouri, and it is the central repository for all military and civil service records.
National Personnel Records Center
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63138
One of the first steps to learn more about your veteran’s military service is to request their Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). This file may include documentation about accession, training, education, assignment, performance, discipline, decoration, casualty, and separation from service.
OMPFs can be requested online at the National Archives Records Administration (NARA) website: https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records. In addition to requesting records online, Official Military Personnel Files can also be requested the following ways:
Mail or fax a Request Pertaining to Military Records (Standard Form SF 180) to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC).
Write a letter to the NPRC.
Visit the NPRC in person in St. Louis, Missouri.
Contact your state or county Veterans agency.
Hire an independent researcher.
Besides requesting a copy of my veteran’s military personnel file, what other military service records can be requested through NARA and the NPRC?
DD 214/ Separation Documents.
Replacement Medals.
Medical and Health Records
What type of information is required to request official military records?
Certain basic information is needed to locate military service records. This information includes the veteran's complete name as used in service; service number; branch of service; date and place of birth; dates of service. For records affected by the 1973 Fire, additional information, such as place of discharge, last assigned unit, and place of entry into service, may be helpful.
Once you request records, expect approximately three months to receive your file in the mail.
For more information, visit https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center.
National Archives at St. Louis, Twenty-nine Feet High Shelving for Military Records.
Photo by Lenin Hurtado for the National Archives.