Service Records?

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Knifemaker
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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How do you guys look up service records? I want to lookup my great grandfathers WWI records, but when I google I get lots of crap, and am overwhelmed. Any ideas. What would it cost/can I get them for free?
 
My dad gave away his US Army Korean War medals and such.

I was able to contact the Gov, and they sent me "free" replacements (I guess this can be done one time for veterans or their families).

I can try to get the addy for you, I think I have it in a envelope behind my dads Medal display.

Give me a few, and I'll fetch :)
 
This is what I have pertaining to that:

Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63132-5100

Maybe they are online as well :)
 
While the above handled the records and verification part of it, the following address was then responsible for replacing the actual medals:

U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command
IMMC, Soldier System Team
PO Box 57997
Philadelphia, PA 19911-7997

Just in case you need it as well.

Good luck :)
 
Thanks for the contact JJ. I'll check into that. I'm not trying to get his medals, just want to know more about his time in France druing WWII. I know he was wounded, and was a POW. Not much more though.
 
By the way, a fire ravaged a good part of the US militaries personnel records at the Records Center during July 12, 1973.

Some records were lost forever. Just wanted to give you a heads up on this.

The copy they sent me of my fathers DD214, actually showed an area where there is flame singe (spelling?) on their original copy, so his was "almost" lost, but the good thing is that close is only good in horse shoes... ;)
 
Andy,

I attempted to get some service records while doing work for an honor's thesis about a year ago. There's a form you request from the website, then return with the requisite fee.
 
At the time, about four years ago, I did not have to pay a fee since they offered this service free of charge to the veteran or his/her surviving family. Dad gave me his permission to proceed with it, so I did.

Not sure how far forward they will consider one a surviving family member, but the emphasis seemed to be more on them being able to offer this service only once free of charge (which may be the case with the above interest) :)

In any case, I just hope that the fire did not claim those records on you :(
 
We'll see I guess. Thanks guys. I'll try that out. Gotta be a way to find out.
 
You know, just for ha ha's, I looked up to see if they have a website addy as well (they do).
http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/

I was reading about the personnel records losses that they encountered during that fire, and this is what I found:


Army: Personnel discharged November 1, 1912, to January 1, 1960
80% estimated loss of records

Air Force: Personnel discharged, September 25, 1947, to January 1, 1964
(with names alphabetically after Hubbard, James E.)
75% estimated loss of records

Wow! I had not realized how lucky I was to find my fathers records still mostly intact (like I had said, the certified DD214 photocopy they sent me showed where the flames had damaged the copied document's edges). His records would have been in their 80% lossed catagory, meaning 4 out of 5 records were destroyed by fire!

Link to a photo showing that building while it was on fire:
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/386/firem5sk.jpg
 
Voodoo said:
My mother said she went to the VFW about looking up her fathers records.
Click to expand...

That's a good idea, probably where a lot of family members and older veterans go when they don't know where to begin this process. I believe the VFW would still have to go through the "Military Personnel Records" division, the VFW simply being kind enough to help you out with the leg work if you seek that help :)
 
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