Order Code RS21282
Updated August 12, 2005September 1, 2006
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Military Service Records and Unit Histories:
A Guide to Locating Sources
Barbara Salazar Torreon and Julissa Gomez-GrangerJulissa Gomez-Granger and Kim Walker Klarman
Information Research Specialists
Knowledge Services Group
Summary
This report is a guide to locating individual service records and military unit
histories from the American Revolution to the present. This guide provides referral
information for locating individual service records of discharged and deceased veterans.
It includes information regarding locating and obtaining active service records. Also
included are relevant addresses and websites of government agencies, historical
associations, and a select bibliography. This report will be updated as needed.
Active Duty Personnel
Air Force and Air National Guard
U.S. Air Force Worldwide Locator
Tel: (210) 565-2660
HQ AFPC/DPDXIDLPersonnel Center
Tel: (800) 616-3775
HQ AFPC/DPSRP
(210) 565-5000
550 C Street, West, Suite 5019
Randolph AFB, TX 78150-47524721
[http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/IM/AFLocator&FOIA/afwwloc.htm]
Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard
U.S. Air Force Worldwide Locator
Use the address given above.
Tel: (210) 652-5775
Army
Army World Wide Locator
As a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, other suspected terrorists’
events, and ongoing and potential military action, the Department of the Army deemed
it necessary to temporarily suspend its World Wide Locator service, except from users
of Army Knowledge Online (AKO), until further notice.
[http://www.erec.army.mil/wwl]
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress
CRS-2
Army National Guard
Members may be located through the appropriate state adjutant general’s office.
Coast Guard
Commander
Coast Guard Personnel Command
(CGPC-adm-3)ask.afpc.randolph.af.mil/main_content.asp?prods2=2750&prods1=79]
Air Force Reserve
Air Reserve Personnel Center/DSMR
HQ ARPC/DPSSA/B
6760 E. Irvington Place, Suite 4600
Denver, CO 80280-4600
[http://arpc.afrc.af.mil/customerassistance/records.asp]
Tel: (800) 525-0102
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress
CRS-2
Army and Army National Guard
U.S. Army Human Resources Command
ATTN: AHRC-MSR
200 Stovall Street
Alexandria, VA 22332-0444
Tel: (703) 325-0928
Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve
Commander, (CGPC-adm-3)
Coast Guard Personnel Command
4200 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1100
Arlington, VA 22203-1804
[http://www.uscg.mil/locator.html]
Tel: (202) 493-1697
Email: Glocator@Ballston.uscg.mil
Coast Guard Reserve
Use the address and telephone number above.
Marine Corpshq/cgpc/adm/adm3.htm]
Tel:(202) 493-1713
(866) 634-0574
Marine Corps and Selected Marine Corps Reserve
Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps
Personnel Management Support Branch (MMSB-1710)
2008 Elliot Road
Quantico, VA 22314-5030
[http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/ind.nsf/locator]
Tel: (703) 784-3941
Marine Corps Reserve
Use the telephone number given but substitute (MMSB-10) in the address.
Marine Corps22134-5030
Tel:(800) 268-3710
(703) 784-3930
Marine Corps: Individual Ready Reserve, Fleet Marine Corps Reserve, or
Inactive Inactive
Reserve
Marine Corps Mobilization Command
15303 Andrews Road
Kansas City, MO 64147-1207
Tel: (800) 255-5082
Navy, Navy Active Reserve, Navy Individual Ready Reserve and Inactive Reserve
Naval Personnel Command (PERS-313C1312E)
5720 Integrity Drive
Millington, TN 38055-31303120
[http://www.navy.mil/navydata/questions/records.html]
Navy Active Reserve
Use the address and telephone number given above.
Tel: (901) 874-4885
CRS-3
Navy Individual Ready Reserve and Inactive Reserve
Naval Reserve Personnel Command
4400 Dauphine Street
New Orleans, LA 70149-7800
Tel: (866) 250-4778
Discharged, Deceased, or Retired Personnel
Military Service and Pension Records
For military and pension records prior to the 20th century, contact:
CRS-3
National Archives and Records Administration
(NARAOld Military and Civil Records (NWCTB-Military)
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20408
[http://www.archives.gov/research_room/obtain
_copies/veterans_service_recordsveterans/index.html]
Tel: (301) 501-5385800) 272-6272
For military records from 20th century conflicts, contact:
National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
[http://www.archives.gov/research_room/obtain
_copies/veterans_service_records.htmlst-louis]
Tel: (314) 801-0800
or (800) 318-5298Fax: (314) 801-9195
Military History Centers
Air Force
United States Air Force
Air Force Historical Studies Office
AF/HOH
Research and Analysis Division
3 Brookley Avenue, Box 94
Bolling AFB, DC 20032-5000
U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency
600 Chennault Circle
Building 1405
Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6424
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Museum
1100 Spaatz Street
Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433
Tel: (202) 404-2264
Fax: (202) 404-2232
E-mail:
afhso.research@pentagon.af.mil
[http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil]
Tel: (334) 953-2395
Fax: (334) 953-7428
[http://www.au.af.mil/au/afhra]
Tel: (937) 255-3286
[http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum]
CRS-4
nationalmuseum.af.mil/]
Army
U.S. Army Center of Military History
Building 35
Collins Hall
103 Third Avenue
Fort Lesley J. McNair
Washington, DC 20319-5058
U.S. Army Military History Institute/
U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center
950 Soldiers Drive
Carlisle, PA 17013-5021
Tel: (202) 685-27334042
[http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/default.htm]
Tel: (717) 245-36113700
[http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi]
CRS-4
Coast Guard
U.S. Coast Guard Historian’s Office (G-IPA-4)
U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Room B-717
2100 Second Street, SW
Washington, DC 20593-0001
[http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/collect.html]
Tel: (202) 267-2596372-4651
Coast Guard Museum
U.S. Coast Guard Academy
15 Mohegan Avenue
New London, CT 06320-8511
[http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/museum/MuseumInfo.html]
Tel: (860) 444-8511
Marine Corps
Marine Corps Historical Center
Washington Navy Yard, Building 58
1254 Charles Morris Street, SE
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5040History Division
3079 Moreell Avenue
Quantico, Virginia 22134
[http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Home_Page.htm]
Tel: (202) 433-3483
Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum
Marine Corps Combat Development Command
2014 Anderson703) 432-4874
Marine Corps Heritage Foundation
307 5th Avenue
Quantico, VA 22134-5002
[http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Home_Page.htm]
Tel: (703) 784-26070998
[http://www.usmcmuseum.org]
Tel: (800) 397-7585
(703) 640-7965
Merchant Marine
American Merchant Marine Museum
300 Steamboat Road
Barstow House
Kings Point, NY 11024
Tel: (516) 773-5515
[http://www.usmma.edu/museum]
CRS-5
Navy
Naval Historical Center
Washington Navy Yard
805 Kidder Breese Street, SE
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5060
Tel: (202) 433-4882
[http://www.history.navy.mil]
Additional Sources for Research
Alternate Record Sources for Military Service Data, Personnel-Related Records, and
Medical-Related Records at NARA
[http://www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis/military_personnel_records/alternate_r
ecord_sourcesst-louis/military-personnel/alternate-record-sources.html]
Repositories of Primary Sources; website from the University of Idaho
[http://www.uidaho.edu/special-collections/Other.Repositories.html]
CRS-5
Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration
Nationwide Gravesite Locator
[http://www.cem.va.gov]
Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress
[http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets]
CRS Reports
CRS Report RS20900, D-Day and the: The French Jubilee of Liberty Medal.
CRS Report RS21474, Military Awards: Sources of Information.
CRS Report RS21545, Military Funeral Honors: Frequently Asked Questions.
CRS Report 95-519, Medal of Honor: History and Issues.
CRS Report RL30011, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1979-2005.
Select Bibliography
Beers, Henry Putney. The Confederacy: A Guide to the Archives of the Government of
the the
Confederate States of America. Washington: National Archives and Records
Administration, 1998.
Center of Military History. Order of Battle of the United States Land Force in the
World World
War. Washington: Center of Military History, U.S. Army, 1988. 3 v.
v. 1: World War I.
Controvich, James T. United States Army Unit Histories: A Reference and
Bibliography.
Manhattan, KS: Military Affairs/Aerospace, 1983.
CRS-6
——. United States Army Unit Histories. 1987 Supplement: A Reference and
Bibliography. Manhattan, KS: Military Affairs/Aerospace, n.d.
——. United States Army Unit Histories. 1992 Supplement “B”: A Reference and
Bibliography. Suppl. 2. Manhattan, KS: Military Affairs/Aerospace, n.d.
——. United States Army Unit Histories. 1996 Supplement “C”: A Reference and
Bibliography. Suppl. 3. Manhattan, KS: Military Affairs/Aerospace, n.d.
——. United States Army Unit Histories. 1999 Supplement “D”: A Reference and
Bibliography. Suppl. 4. Manhattan, KS: Military Affairs/Aerospace, n.d.
Dinackus, Thomas D. Order of Battle: Allied Ground Forces of Operation Desert
Storm.
Central Point, OR: Hellgate Press, 2000.
Dornbusch, C. E. Military Bibliography of the Civil War. New York: New York
Public Public
Library, 1971.
CRS-6
——. Unit Histories of the United States Air Forces. New York: Arno Press, 1980.
Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. New York: T.
Yoseloff,
1959.
Stanton, Shelby L. Order of Battle, U.S. Army, World War II. Novato, CA: Presidio
Press, 1984.
——. Vietnam Order of Battle. New York: Galahad Books, 1986.
U.S. Department of the Army. Office of Military History. Order of Battle of the
United United
States Army Ground Forces in World War II, Pacific Theater of
Operations:
Administrative and Logistical Commands, Armies, Corps, and
Divisions.
Washington: Department of the Army, 1959.
U.S. Naval War Records Office. Official Records of the Union and Confederate
Navies Navies
in the War of the Rebellion. Harrisburg, PA: National Historical Society,
1987. 30 v.
U.S. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official
Records Records
of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington: GPO, 1880-1901.
70 v.