How Can I Find Out.if Someone.is Prior Service

You can request official war machine personnel files for veterans and service members who have died. Still, living veterans and service members must consent for y'all to check well-nigh documents in their service records.

You lot can asking some documents from a military member or veteran'southward service tape for eligibility, legal or fiscal transactions.

FOIA and the Privacy Act

To request whatsoever part of an official military machine personnel file, you'll need to send a Freedom of Information Human activity (FOIA) request to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis.

The NPRC safeguards more seventy meg service records from the Section of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Baby-sit.

FOIA allows anyone with a statutory right to view executive branch information to request some service documents without consent from a veteran or next-of-kin.

These documents include the veteran or service member's:

Name
Past and present positions
By and present titles
By and nowadays salaries
Past and present grades
By and present job locations

While FOIA provides transparency to the public, the Privacy Deed protects service members' data past limiting what'southward accessible to the public.

You lot tin but access the following data without consent if the service member or veteran has died:

Name
Service Number
Dates of Service
Branch of Service
Final Duty Status
Final Rank
Salary
Assignments and Geographical Locations
Military Education Level
Commissioning source
List of awards and decorations
Photograph
Transcript of Courts-Martial Trials
Place of entrance and separation
Place of Birth
Engagement and geographical location of death
Place of burial

Military separation documents (including DD-214s), replacement records and medical records are not open to the public.

Obtaining Service Records using SF-180

To request military personnel records, download an SF-180 form, fill it out and mail it back to the NPRC at:

National Personnel Records Heart
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63138.

You tin also fax the course to the NPRC at (314) 801-9195.

If you tin't download an SF-180, you can employ this inquiry class to ask the NPRC to mail you an SF-180.

If you are a dead veteran's side by side-of-kin, you can fill out an SF-180 form or use an online order course to request the veteran's separation documents, including a DD-214.

Use a FOIA Letter to Asking Service Records

If y'all can not obtain an SF-180, you can send a FOIA letter.

Include as much data as possible to assist the NPRC locate the service fellow member's file, including:

The veteran'southward complete name used while in service
Service number, Social Security number or Department of Defense identification number
Branch of service
Dates of service
Appointment and place of birth

Mail service Your FOIA Letter of the alphabet to:

National Personnel Records Centre
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63138

Note: A burn destroyed many of the Army and Air Force's 1947 to 1963 service records, according to the NPRC. If you are looking for personnel files betwixt this year gap, provide every bit much information every bit possible so the records center can piece together what's still available.

National Archives Data

The National Archives role, carve up from the NPRC, holds military personnel files with last dates of service from at least 62 years ago.

You tin request National Archives records online or through the NPRC by mailing or faxing an SF-180 to the NPRC addresses above.

Cristina Van Orden is a literary author and active military machine spouse. She holds an MFA from Antioch Academy and taught Yard-12 English earlier working in editorial. Cristina currently resides on base with her husband and children.