Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit
Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources
Updated January 25, 2023
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
RS21282

Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources

Summary
This guide provides information on locating military unit histories and individual service records
of discharged, retired, and deceased military personnel. It also provides information on locating
and replacing military awards and medals. Included is contact information for military history
centers, websites for additional sources of research, and a bibliography of other publications,
including related CRS reports.
Congressional Research Service

Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources

Personnel Files: Military Service and Pension
Records at the National Archives
The Military Personnel Records division of the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), a
component of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) located in St. Louis,
Missouri, holds most existing U.S. military personnel, health, and medical records of discharged
and deceased servicemembers of all services from World War I to the present. Some older records
have been electronically scanned to reduce the handling of fragile records. See NARA’s site
“Access to Military Service and Pension Records” at https://www.archives.gov/research/order/
research/order/order-vets-records.
Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) records may be requested online at
https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records, via the eVetRecs online system or by
using the Standard Form (SF)180 and submitting by mail (the appropriate address listed on the
back of the form), or fax (314-801-9195).
 Access the eVetRecs system at https://vetrecs.archives.gov/VeteranRequest/
home.html
 The eVetRecs Help page is available at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/
military-service-records/evetrecs-help.html
 Information about SF-180 is available at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/
military-service-records/standard-form-180.html
Veterans, their next-of-kin (NOK), or authorized representatives (e.g., lawyers, doctors) may
request these records. According to the NPRC, the NOK is the un-remarried widow or widower,
son, daughter, father, mother, brother or sister.1
If an individual does not meet the definition of a NOK, he or she is considered a member of the
general public and may request military personnel records via the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA). See “Access to Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF) for the General Public” at
https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/ompf-access-public.
In 1973, a fire at NPRC destroyed approximately 16 million to 18 million Army and Air Force
official military personnel files.2 In such cases where files were lost, NPRC uses alternate sources
of information to respond to requests.
See also the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) site on how to reconstruct military records
destroyed in NPRC fire at https://www.va.gov/records/get-military-service-records/reconstruct-
records/. This site provide guidance on military records needed to submit disability compensation
claims and explains how the VA reconstructs service records lost in the 1973 NPRC Fire.

1 National Personnel Records Center, “Access to Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF) - Veterans and Next-of-
Kin,” site at https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/ompf-access.
2 Kerri Lawrence, “Archives Recalls Fire That Claimed Millions of Military Personnel Files,” National Archives News,
July 23, 2018, at https://www.archives.gov/news/articles/archives-recalls-fire. This article provides additional reference
to a 1974 white paper, The National Personnel Records Center Fire: A Study in Disaster, https://www.archives.gov/
files/st-louis/military-personnel/NPRC_fire_a_study_in_disaster.pdf, which provides an extensive account. In addition,
Prologue magazine published an article, “Burnt in Memory: Looking Back, Looking Forward at the 1973 St. Louis
Fire,” Spring 2013, at https://www.archives.gov/files/publications/prologue/2013/spring/stl-fire.pdf.
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Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources

More information about obtaining military personnel files can be found on the NPRC website,
https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/military-personnel, or by contacting the center
at
National Personnel Records Center
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, MO 63138
Tel: (314) 801-0800 public customer service line
Status Update Request Form: https://www.archives.gov/contact/order-status
Older military personnel records (generally prior to 1917) are located at
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Textual Archives Services Division
Washington, DC 20408
https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/pre-ww-1-records
Information for Congressional Offices is available at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-
service-records/congressional-information.
The information on this page is specifically to help congressional offices respond to constituents
who have contacted their Members of Congress asking for assistance. This contact information
follows:
Tel: (314) 801-0816
Fax: (314) 801-0763
Email: congressional.status@nara.gov
https://www.archives.gov/congress
Correcting Military Service Records
For guidance on the review of discharges and military corrections boards, see NARA’s “Veterans’
Service Records: Correcting Military Service Records.”3 For information on the military service
review boards (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy and Marine Corps), see “Boards for
Correction of Military Records (BCMR)/ Discharge Upgrades” site.4 NARA’s site also provides
the following BCMR guidance:
Prior to submitting a request to a Board for Correction of Military Records, ALL
administrative avenues must be used. Generally, that means a request to NPRC for a
correction (minor corrections can be made by NPRC), then a request to the military service
department (service departments can make more corrections than NPRC), and finally if
both these fail, then submit DD Form 149, with supporting evidence as instructed on the
form.5

3 NARA. “Correcting Military Service Records” at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/correct-
service-records.html.
4 Boards for Correction of Military Records (BCMR)/Discharge Upgrades at https://www.archives.gov/personnel-
records-center/vso/boards-for-correction-of-military-records.
5 Ibid. For more information on the BCMR, see also CRS Report R46107, FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act:
Selected Military Personnel Issues, coordinated by Bryce H. P. Mendez in the section “Separation, Discharge, and
Discharge Review.”
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Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources

Military Awards and Decorations
The NPRC also provides information and guidance on issuance of military awards; how to
request replacing certain military awards and decorations for veterans, their NOK, and the general
public; and obtaining a Cold War Recognition Certificate.6 Individuals can request information on
military service medals, decorations and awards online: https://www.archives.gov/personnel-
records-center/awards-and-decorations.
By military service (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force including Army Air Corps and
Army Air Forces) via mail:
National Personnel Records Center
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, MO 63138
For Coast Guard:
Coast Guard Personnel Service Center
4200 Wilson Blvd., Suite 900 (PSC-PSD-MA)
Stop 7200
Arlington, VA 20598-7200
Cold War Recognition Certificate
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 1998 (P.L. 105-85) in Section
1084 required the Secretary of Defense to prepare a certificate recognizing the Cold War service
of qualifying members of the Armed Forces and civilian personnel of DOD and other government
agencies contributing to national security. This certificate, known as the “Cold War Recognition
Certificate,” may be awarded upon individual request to all members of the Armed Forces and
qualified federal government civilian personnel who served the United States during the Cold
War era from September 2, 1945, to December 26, 1991.7
Finding Unit Histories
The Modern Military Records office of NARA has custody of records relating to World War I,
World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. The records vary by conflict and branch of service; for
example, the records for Army units active during the interwar periods (1920-1939 and 1945-
1950) are incomplete. For more information, contact the Textual Records unit at
Textual Records Division
National Archives and Records Administration at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
https://www.archives.gov/college-park
Email: archives2reference@nara.gov

6 Military Awards and Decorations at https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/awards-and-decorations.
7 Cold War Recognition Certificate at https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/awards-and-
decorations#cwc. Additional information on how to request a certificate is also available at that site.
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If a military unit record is not publicly available, a FOIA request may be submitted to the agency
where the record is held. For example, for special access records held at the National Archives at
College Park, contact the Archives FOIA office at the following:
Special Access and FOIA Division
National Archives and Records Administration at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Tel: (301) 837-3190
https://www.archives.gov/research/foia
Email: specialaccess_foia@nara.gov
For more information on how to submit a FOIA request, visit https://www.foia.gov/how-to.html.
Other types of auxiliary and organizational records, including Army morning reports, Army unit
rosters, Army officer pay cards (WWI and WWII), Air Force morning reports, Navy muster rolls
(ships only), U.S. Army Surgeon General’s office records and Veterans Administration index
cards (WWI and WWII) are maintained at the National Archives in St. Louis, MO. Further
information regarding these records, as well as the timespan of available records for each
category, are available at https://www.archives.gov/st-louis/other-records. Certain published unit
histories can also be found in the collections of the military departments (see Table 1).
Table 1. Military History Centers and Museums
Center or Museum
Telephone Number
Air Force
U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency
(334) 953-5697
600 Chennault Circle
Maxwell AFB, AL 36112
Email: AFHRA.NEWS@us.af.mil
https://www.afhra.af.mil/Contact-Us/
https://www.afhra.af.mil/
Air Force Historical Support Division
(202) 404-2264
HQ USAF HOH
2822 Doherty DR. SW, Suite 404
Joint Base Anacostia-Bol ing
Washington, DC 20373-5899
Email: AF.HO.AFHSO.Research@us.af.mil
https://www.afhistory.af.mil/
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
(937) 255-3286
1100 Spaatz Street
Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433
Email: nationalmuseum.mup@us.af.mil
https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/
Army
U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH)
Congressional Inquiries Division*
102 4th Avenue, Building 35
From the CMH website: “If you are
Fort McNair, DC 20319-5060
inquiring from the office of a member of
Email: usarmy.mcnair.cmh.mbx.answers@mail.mil
Congress, please direct your question to
https://history.army.mil/
the Office of Congressional Legislative
Liaison (OCLL) rather than directly to the
US Army Center of Military History.”
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Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources

Center or Museum
Telephone Number
U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC)
The USAHEC LibAnswers page is the
950 Soldiers Drive
preferred means for requesting information
Carlisle, PA 17013-5021
at https://usawc.libanswers.com/
https://ahec.armywarcol ege.edu/
Note: USAHEC has a large col ection of veterans’ surveys from the
Spanish American War to the present.

Coast Guard
U.S. Coast Guard Historian’s Office
Email preferred for requesting information
Commandant (CG-09231)
(757) 398-6643 Atlantic Area Historian
ATTN: Coast Guard Historian’s Office
U.S. Coast Guard Stop 7031
2703 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE
Washington, DC 20593-7031
Email: history@uscg.mil
https://www.history.uscg.mil/

U.S. Coast Guard Museum
(860) 444-8511
U.S. Coast Guard Academy - Waesche Hall
15 Mohegan Avenue

New London, CT 06320

Email: history@uscg.mil

https://www.history.uscg.mil/Museum/

Marine Corps
Edwin H. Simmons Marine Corps History Center
(703) 784-4685 for general inquiries
Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division

2044 Broadway Street
Quantico, VA 22134

https://grc-usmcu.libguides.com/marine-corps-archives/main

Archives Branch reference requests and general inquiries:
history.division@usmcu.edu

Marine Corps Heritage Foundation
(800) 397-7585 toll free
1775 Semper Fidelis Way

Triangle, VA 22172

Email: info@marineheritage.org

https://www.marineheritage.org/

National Museum of the Marine Corps
(877) 653-1775 tol free
1775 Semper Fidelis Way
Triangle, VA 22172
https://www.usmcmuseum.com/

Merchant Marine
American Merchant Marine Museum
(516) 726-6047
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
300 Steamboat Road
Kings Point, NY 11024
Email: museum@usmma.edu
https://www.usmma.edu/museum
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Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources

Center or Museum
Telephone Number
Navy
Naval History and Heritage Command
(202) 433-4132 library
805 Kidder Breese Street, SE
(202) 433-7880 for general inquiries
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5060
Email: archives@navy.mil (archives branch)
Email: NHHC_PublicAffairs@us.navy.mil (general inquiries)
https://www.history.navy.mil/
Source: Table compiled by the Congressional Research Service.
Military Records for Veterans Compensation
To support disability claims of exposure to hazardous materials (e.g., Agent Orange, asbestos,
radiation), some veterans may seek access to Army morning reports, unit rosters, pay cards, Navy
muster rolls, Captain logs/Navy Deck logs, and other records from their time in military service.
For more information on hazardous material exposures, see the VA’s Military Exposure site:
https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/index.asp.
For Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans see the VA’s Blue Water Navy Veterans and Agent
Orange Exposure site at https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/locations/blue-
water-veterans.asp. The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 (P.L. 116-23) extended
the presumption of herbicide exposure, such as Agent Orange, to veterans who served in the
offshore waters of the Republic of Vietnam between Jan. 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975. See CRS In
Focus IF11368, Expansion of Benefits to Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans, by Sidath Viranga
Panangala.
For Airborne Hazards and Burn Pit Exposures see the VA’s Public Health site at
https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/burnpits/. The VA continues to study the long-term
health issues of deployed veterans and their exposure to burn pits used at military waste sites in
Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of the Southwest Asia Theater of military operations.
On August 10, 2022, P.L. 117-168, also known as the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson
Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 or the Honoring our PACT
Act of 2022, became law. This act addresses “health care, presumption of service-connection,
research, resources, and other matters related to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances
during military service.”8
For more information, see also CRS Report R46107, FY2020 National Defense Authorization
Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues, coordinated by Bryce H. P. Mendez, in the section
“Screening and Testing for Environmental and Occupational Exposures;” and CRS In Focus
IF11813, Presumptive Service Connection: Former Servicemembers of Camp Stronghold
Freedom at Karshi-Khanabad (K2) Airbase, by Bryce H. P. Mendez , and related CRS products
on VA health care and disability in the sources listed in the next section.

8 See the VA’s The PACT Act and your VA benefits site at https://www.va.gov/resources/the-pact-act-and-your-va-
benefits/. This site has links to information on Vietnam era veteran eligibility, Gulf War era and post-9/11 veteran
eligibility.
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Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources

Selected Additional Sources for Research
Selected CRS Resources
CRS In Focus IF10167, Veterans and Homelessness, by Libby Perl
CRS In Focus IF10418, Do Veterans Have Choices in How They Access Health Care?, by Sidath
Viranga Panangala
CRS In Focus IF10490, Veterans’ Employment, by Benjamin Collins
CRS In Focus IF10594, Defense Primer: Concurrent Receipt of Military Retirement and VA
Disability, by Kristy N. Kamarck
CRS In Focus IF11082, Veterans Health Administration: Gender-Specific Health Care Services
for Women Veterans, by Jared S. Sussman
CRS In Focus IF11656, State Veterans Homes, by Jared S. Sussman
CRS In Focus IF11685, Special Authorities for Veterans’ Educational Assistance Programs
During the COVID-19 Emergency, by Cassandria Dortch
CRS In Focus IF11762, Veteran Involvement in the U.S. Capitol Breach: Possible Effects on VA
Benefits, by Jonathan M. Gaffney and Kristy N. Kamarck
CRS In Focus IF11950, COVID-19 Impact on Access to Military Service Records, by Meghan M.
Stuessy
CRS In Focus IF12242, Veteran Status Based on Service with Certain Civilian Groups, by Scott
D. Szymendera
CRS Report 95-519, Medal of Honor: History and Issues, by Barbara Salazar Torreon
CRS Report R42695, SBA Veterans Assistance Programs: An Analysis of Contemporary Issues,
by Robert Jay Dilger and Anthony A. Cilluffo
CRS Report R42704, The Purple Heart: Background and Issues for Congress, by Barbara Salazar
Torreon
CRS Report R42747, Health Care for Veterans: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, by
Sidath Viranga Panangala and Jared S. Sussman
CRS Report R44837, Benefits for Service-Disabled Veterans, coordinated by Scott D.
Szymendera
CRS Report R46412, Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs): Frequently Asked Questions, by
Tamar B. Breslauer and Carol D. Davis
CRS Report R46813, Department of Veterans Affairs: Burial Benefits and the National Cemetery
Administration, by Scott D. Szymendera and Tamar B. Breslauer
CRS Report R46906, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Procurement Program, by
Robert Jay Dilger and R. Corinne Blackford
CRS Report R46964, Department of Veterans Affairs FY2022 Appropriations, by Sidath Viranga
Panangala and Jared S. Sussman
CRS Report R47163, Department of Veterans Affairs: Claims Process and Compensation and
Pension Exams by Contracted Physicians, coordinated by Laura Haltzel
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Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources

CRS Report R47212, Modernizing Access to Military Service Records: Frequently Asked
Questions, by Meghan M. Stuessy
CRS Report R47299, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Who Is a Veteran?, by Scott D.
Szymendera
CRS Report R47301, Veterans-Related Education Legislation Enacted in the 117th Congress, by
Cassandria Dortch
CRS Report R47337, Military Memorials, Monuments, and Museums: Selected Resources for
Federal, State, and Local Funding, by Carly A. Miller
CRS Report RS21405, U.S. Periods of War and Dates of Recent Conflicts, by Barbara Salazar
Torreon and Carly A. Miller
Selected Web Resources
African American Heritage of the Civil War, National Park Service
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/africanamericanheritage/civil-war.htm
This website contains resources about African American military service during the Civil War.
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) at http://www.abmc.gov
The website contains databases of veterans interred or memorialized at overseas American
military cemeteries and memorials.
Buffalo Soldiers at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/buffalosoldiers/index.htm
The website contains resources about the Buffalo Soldiers, African Americans who served
between 1866 and 1951.
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, National Park Service
https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm
This website contains a database of the men who served in the Union and Confederate armies
during the Civil War, as well as information on regiment histories, significant battles, and some
prisoner-of-war records and cemetery records.
Confederate States of America (CSA) Records at the Library of Congress
https://www.loc.gov/collections/confederate-states-of-america-records/about-this-collection/
The records of the CSA span the years 1854-1889, with the bulk of the material concentrated in
the period 1861-1865, during the Civil War. Provides links to Official Records of the Union and
Confederate Armies External; Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies External;
and War Department Collection of Confederate Records.
Collections and Research from the National WWI Museum and Memorial
https://www.theworldwar.org/collections-research
The site provides access to the records of the National WWI Museum and Memorial, which is
one the largest WWI collections in the world. Access includes state-level WWI service records.
Military Awards for Valor—Top 3
https://valor.defense.gov/
Official DOD site for the top 3 military awards for valor (the Medal of Honor, Distinguished
Service Crosses and the Silver Star) that lists the names of recipients alphabetically by each
military department.
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Military Resources: Veterans at the National Archives Library Information Center (ALIC)
https://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/military/veterans-related.html
This site provides links to veterans’ information, military casualties, Prisoners of War/Missing in
Action (POW/MIAs), and medals and honors.
Philippine Army and Guerilla Records at the National Archives
https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/military-personnel/philippine-army-records
The collection includes records of the Philippine Commonwealth Army of the United States
Armed Forces Far East (USAFFE), including recognized Philippine Guerrilla forces (not the
Army of the United States or Philippine Scouts) during World War II.
U.S. Air University Press
https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/AUPress/
This site provides access to the U.S. Air University Press, which includes historical monographs
and articles.
U.S. Army Center for Military History
https://history.army.mil/
This site contains numerous historical monographs relating to the history of the U.S. Army. This
includes the U.S. Army in World War II “Green Books” and the U.S. Army in the Korean War
“Black Books.”
U.S. Army University Press
https://www.armyupress.army.mil/
This site provides access to the U.S. Army University Press, which includes historical
monographs and articles.
U.S. Army War College Publications
https://publications.armywarcollege.edu/
This site provides access to the U.S. Army War College Publications page, which includes
historical monographs and articles.
U.S. Marine Corps University Press
https://www.usmcu.edu/MCUPress/MarineCorps-University-Press/
This site provides access to the U.S. Marine Corps University Press, which includes historical
monographs and articles.
U.S. National Defense University Press
https://ndupress.ndu.edu/
This site provides access to the U.S. National Defense University Press, which includes historical
monographs and articles.
U.S. Naval Postgraduate School Publications
https://nps.edu/publications
This site provides access to the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School Publications page, which
includes historical monographs and articles.
U.S. Navy War College Press
https://usnwc.edu/Publications/Naval-War-College-Press
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Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources

VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator at https://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/ngl/index.jsp
The database contains burial locations of veterans and their family members.
Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress at http://www.loc.gov/vets/
VHP collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American veterans.
Selected Bibliography
Absher, Jim. “Rebuilding Service Records,” April 8, 2022, Military.com at
https://www.military.com/benefits/records-and-forms/rebuilding-service-records.html.
Beers, Henry Putney. The Confederacy: A Guide to the Archives of the Government of the
Confederate States of America. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records
Administration, 1998, at https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015015323671.
Borch, Fred L. For Military Merit: Recipients of the Purple Heart. Annapolis, MD: Naval
Institute Press, 2010.
Center of Military History. Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the World War.
Washington, DC: Center of Military History, U.S. Army, 1988. 3 volumes, at
https://history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/collect/oob_us_lf_wwi.html.
Center of Military History. U.S. Army in the Korean War. Washington, DC: Center of Military
History, U.S. Army, 4 volumes, at
https://history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/collect/usakw.html.
Center of Military History. U.S. Army in World War II. Washington, DC: Center of Military
History, U.S. Army, 79 volumes, at
https://history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/collect/usaww2.html.
Controvich, James T. United States Army Unit and Organizational Histories: A Bibliography.
Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2003.
——United States Air Force and Its Antecedents: Published and Printed Unit Histories, a
Bibliography. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2004. January 2001 edition available at
https://permanent.fdlp.gov/airforcehistory/www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext
/printed_unit_histories.pdf.
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 Library,
1971.
Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. New York: T. Yoseloff, 1959.
Johnson, Lt. Col. Richard S., and Debra Johnson Knox. How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has
Been in the Military: Armed Forces Locator Guide. Spartanburg, SC: MIE Publishing, 1999.
Mears, Dwight S. The Medal of Honor: The Evolution of America’s Highest Military Decoration.
Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2018.
National World War II Museum. “St. Louis, July 12, 1973: A Disaster with Long-Last
Repercussions,” July 12, 2020, at https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/st-louis-
national-records-fire-july-12-1973.
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Olsen, Wyatt. “The Painstaking Effort to Recover Millions of Burned Military Service Records,”
Stars and Stripes, August 5, 2013, at https://www.stripes.com/news/the-painstaking-effort-to-
recover-millions-of-burned-military-service-records-1.233869.
Owens, Ron. Medal of Honor: Historical Facts and Figures. Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing
Company, 2004.
Plante, Trevor K. Military Service Records at the National Archives. Washington, DC: National
Archives and Records Administration, 2009, at
https://www.archives.gov/files/publications/ref-info-papers/rip109.pdf.
Stanton, Shelby L. World War II Order of Battle, U.S. Army (Ground Force Units).
Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2006.
——Vietnam Order of Battle: A Complete Illustrated Reference to U.S. Army Combat and
Support Forces in Vietnam 1961-1973. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2003.
Stender, Walter and Evans Walker. “The National Personnel Records Center Fire: A Study in
Disaster,” The American Archivist, Vol. 37, No. 4. (October 1974), pp. 521-529, at
https://www.archives.gov/files/st-louis/military-
personnel/NPRC_fire_a_study_in_disaster.pdf.
U.S. Department of the Army. Office of Military History. Order of Battle of the United States
Army Ground Forces in World War II, Pacific Theater of Operations: Administrative and
Logistical Commands, Armies, Corps, and Divisions. Washington, DC: Department of the
Army, 1959, at https://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4013coll8/id/2984.
U.S. Naval War Records Office. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War
of the Rebellion. Harrisburg, PA: National Historical Society, 1987. 30 volumes, digital
copies of the original editions from the Government Printing Office available at
http://collections.library.cornell.edu/moa_new/ofre.html.
U.S. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the
Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, DC: GPO, 1880-1901. 70 volumes, at
http://collections.library.cornell.edu/moa_new/waro.html.

Author Information

Barbara Salazar Torreon
Travis A. Ferrell
Senior Research Librarian
Research Librarian

Congressional Research Service

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Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources

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Congressional Research Service
RS21282 · VERSION 27 · UPDATED
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