The Fire: An American Disaster
The 1973 Fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC)
One of the most important documents about your veteran is their Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). These files and other military and civil service records, such as discharge and medical and health records, are housed at the NPRC.
On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire occurred at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, the repository for all US personnel military records. Firefighters arrived on the scene only four minutes after the first alarm sounded, but the fire was so intense that they had difficulty containing the flames. The fire crews poured millions of gallons of water on the building, but the blaze burned for another twenty-two hours. After almost five days, they completely extinguished the fire. Due to the extensive damage, investigators never figured out the primary cause.
When all was said and done, the blaze destroyed 16 to 18 million Official Military Personnel Files. The estimated loss of Army files was 80 percent. The Air Force files’ estimated loss was 75 percent, specifically for files listed alphabetically after Hubbard, James E. According to information on the National Archives site, the government agency did not maintain duplicate records.
After firefighters completely contained the fire, there were immediate efforts to recover the millions of burned and water-damaged records. Also, there were efforts to reconstruct partially damaged or destroyed files by obtaining information from alternate sources outside the NPRC. That process is still going on to this day. A quote from the National Archives website summed up the damage's impact on our country: “In terms of loss to the cultural heritage of our nation, the 1973 NPRC Fire was an unparalleled disaster.”
Fighting the Fire at the NPRC Building, 1973. (Records of the National Archives).
In 2018, I requested a copy of my father’s military service record from the NPRC. I anticipated these files would hold comprehensive information regarding his World War II history, primarily the POW camp where he was for almost two years.
Approximately three months later, I finally received an envelope from the NPRC. Before I tore it open, my first impression was that the package was relatively thin. I realized my worst fears. A letter from the NPRC in St. Louis informed me, “The complete Official Military Personnel File for the veteran requested is not in our files. If the record was here on July 12, 1973, it would have been in the area that suffered the most damage in the fire on that date and may have been destroyed. Fortunately, there were alternate records sources that contained information that was used to reconstruct some service record data lost in the fire. However, complete records could not be reconstructed.”
Veteran Military Personnel Files burned in 1973 NPRC Fire
So, it appeared I received a partially reconstructed file with limited information due to the catastrophic fire in 1973. Knowing the file was incomplete encouraged me to pursue other avenues to piece together my father’s military service during World War II.
Hard work, but well worth the effort!
Online sources to learn more about the 1973 fire at the NPRC:
https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/fire-1973
https://www.archives.gov/files/st-louis/military-personnel/NPRC_fire_a_study_in_disaster.pdf
https://www.archives.gov/news/articles/archives-recalls-fire