Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources
Updated October 28, 2024
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
RS21282
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
RS21282
Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources
Congressional Research Service
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.
Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources
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Personnel Files: Military Service and Pension Records at the National Archives .......................... 1
NPRC Fire and Reconstructing Lost Military Records ............................................................. 1
Correcting Military Service Records ......................................................................................... 2
Military Awards and Decorations .................................................................................................... 3
Cold War Recognition Certificate ............................................................................................. 3 Atomic Veterans Recognition .................................................................................................... 3
Finding Unit Histories ..................................................................................................................... 4
Military Records for Veterans Compensation ........................................................................... 6 Merchant Mariners Records, Awards, and Benefits .................................................................. 7
Selected Additional Sources for Research ....................................................................................... 8
Selected CRS Resources ........................................................................................................... 8 Selected Web Resources ............................................................................................................ 9
Selected Bibliography .................................................................................................................... 11
Table 1. Military History Centers and Museums ............................................................................. 4
Author Information ........................................................................................................................ 13
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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 provides guidance on military records needed to submit disability
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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compensation claims and explains how the VA reconstructs service records lost in the 1973 NPRC Fire.
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/personnel-records-center/forms
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
Types of military service records stored in Washington, DC: https://www.archives.gov/veterans/ military-service-records/pre-ww-1-records#nwctb-list.
Information on this site includes how to order copies of military pension application files from the U.S. federal government between 1775 and 1903. This does not include state or Confederate military pension application files.
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
The most recent letter from the Archivist of the United States to Members of Congress, which explains the current NARA backlog: https://www.archives.gov/files/nprc-july-update.pdf.
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 this page lists, see the following contact information:
Air Force Review Boards Agency: https://afrba-portal.cce.af.mil/
Army Review Board Agency: https://arba.army.pentagon.mil/
3 NARA. “Correcting Military Service Records” at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/correct- service-records.html.
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Board for Correction of Military Records for the Coast Guard: https://www.uscg.mil/resources/ legal/bcmr/
Board for Correction of Naval Records [Navy and Marine Corps]: https://www.secnav.navy.mil/ mra/bcnr/Pages/default.aspx
Secretary of the Navy – Council of Review Boards [Navy and Marine Corps]: https://www.secnav.navy.mil/mra/CORB/Pages/default.aspx
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.4 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 or online:
National Personnel Records Center 1 Archives Drive St. Louis, MO 63138
https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records
For Coast Guard:
Coast Guard Personnel Service Center 4200 Wilson Blvd., Suite 900 (PSC-PSD-MA) Stop 7200 Arlington, VA 20598-7200
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, 1991.5
The NDAA for Fiscal Year 2022 (P.L. 117-81) in Section 583 required the Defense Secretary to design and produce a commemorative military service medal known as the ‘‘Atomic Veterans Commemorative Service Medal” to honor the service and sacrifice of veterans who were instrumental in the development of the U.S. atomic and nuclear weapons programs. Veterans eligible for the medal are those who, while performing official military duties during the period of
4 Military Awards and Decorations at https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/awards-and-decorations.
5 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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July 1, 1945, to October 1, 1992, participated in activities that involved the risk of radiation exposure.6 See the links below for additional details on the commemorative medal and certificate.
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 Textual Consultation at the following:
Textual Consultation National Archives and Records Administration at College Park 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740 https://www.archives.gov/college-park Email: archives2reference@nara.gov
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 Program National Archives and Records Administration at College Park 8601 Adelphi Road
Room 5500 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 600 Chennault Circle
(334) 953-5697
6 DOD, “Defense Department Announces Atomic Veterans Commemorative Service Medal,” press release, July 5, 2022, https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3083737/defense-department-announces-atomic- veterans-commemorative-service-medal/; and the Atomic Veterans Service Certificate at the Nuclear Test Personnel Review (NTPR) at https://www.dtra.mil/About/Mission/Nuclear-Test-Personnel-Review/Atomic-Veterans-Service- Certificate/.
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Center or Museum Telephone Number
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 HQ USAF HOH 2822 Doherty DR. SW, Suite 404 Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling Washington, DC 20373-5899 Email: AF.HO.AFHSO.Research@us.af.mil https://www.afhistory.af.mil/
Email preferred for requesting information.
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force 1100 Spaatz Street Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433 Email: nationalmuseum.mup@us.af.mil https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/
(937) 255-3286
Army
U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH) 102 4th Avenue, Building 35 Fort McNair, DC 20319-5060 Email: usarmy.mcnair.cmh.mbx.answers@army.mil https://history.army.mil/
Congressional Inquiries* From the CMH website: “If you are inquiring from the office of a member of Congress, please direct your question to the Office of Congressional Legislative Liaison (OCLL) rather than directly to the US Army Center of Military History.”
U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC) 950 Soldiers Drive Carlisle, PA 17013-5021 https://ahec.armywarcollege.edu/ Note: USAHEC has a large collection of veterans’ surveys from the Spanish American War to the present.
The USAHEC LibAnswers page is the preferred means for requesting information at https://usawc.libanswers.com/
Coast Guard
U.S. Coast Guard Historian’s Office Commandant (CG-09242) 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/
Email preferred for requesting information
U.S. Coast Guard Museum U.S. Coast Guard Academy - Waesche Hall 15 Mohegan Avenue New London, CT 06320 Email: history@uscg.mil https://www.history.uscg.mil/Museum/
(860) 444-8511
Marine Corps
Edwin H. Simmons Marine Corps History Center Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division 2044 Broadway Street
From the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division website: “If you are inquiring from the office of a member of Congress, please direct your question to
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Center or Museum Telephone Number
Quantico, VA 22134 https://grc-usmcu.libguides.com/marine-corps-archives/main Archives Branch reference requests and general inquiries: history.division@usmcu.edu
the Congressional Liaison Service, Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs.” (703) 784-4685 for general inquiries
Marine Corps Heritage Foundation 1775 Semper Fidelis Way Triangle, VA 22172 Email: info@marineheritage.org https://www.marineheritage.org/ National Museum of the Marine Corps 1775 Semper Fidelis Way Triangle, VA 22172 https://www.usmcmuseum.com/
(800) 397-7585 toll free (703) 640-7965 (877) 653-1775 toll free
Merchant Marine
American Merchant Marine Museum U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 300 Steamboat Road Kings Point, NY 11024 Email: museum@usmma.edu https://www.usmma.edu/museum
(516) 726-6047
Navy
Naval History and Heritage Command 805 Kidder Breese Street, SE Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5060 Email: NHHC-NavyLibrary@us.navy.mil (Navy Department Library) Email: NHHC_PublicAffairs@us.navy.mil (general inquiries) https://www.history.navy.mil/
(202) 433-4132 library (202) 433-7880 for general inquiries
Source: Table compiled by the Congressional Research Service.
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 at https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/index.asp and the Exposures by Wars and Operations site at https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/wars-operations/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.
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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.”7
For Contaminated Water Exposure at Camp Lejeune, see Section 804 of the PACT Act, known as the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) of 2022. The CLJA allowed people including veterans previously exposed to contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to file a new claim with the Department of the Navy. The CLJA deadline to file a claim was August 10, 2024, and the Navy is no longer accepting new CLJA claims. See the Navy Judge Advocate General’s website for additional information including the status of a claim filed.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.
Record requests for Merchant Mariners (members of the U.S. Merchant Marines) are available on the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center (NMC) website. Merchant Mariners or their next-of-kin (NOK) may obtain copies of their records.
Contact information follows:
National Maritime Center Attn.: Correspondence (NMC-41) 100 Forbes Drive Martinsburg, WV 25404
The National Maritime Center recommends use of its record request form: https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/NMC/pdfs/records_request/correspondence_request.pdf.
The Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) maintains a website about Mariner Medals, including eligibility. These medals are granted by the Department of Transportation. Merchant Mariners and civilian mariners who supported the nation’s Armed Forces in combat may be eligible for medals. Conflicts for which medals are granted include “World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and Operations Restore Hope and United Shield and related operations in Somalia from December 5, 1992 to March 31, 1995.”9 For service during World War II, some Department of Defense and
7 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, Gulf War era, and post-9/11 veteran eligibility.
8 “CLJA Claims Management Portal,” Navy Office of the Judge Advocate General, https://www.navy.mil/clja/.
9 MARAD’s Mariner Medals page at https://www.maritime.dot.gov/outreach/mariner-medals#Original%20Awards.
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foreign government recognition medals are available.10 P.L. 100-324 allows MARAD to accept original applications for awards World War II mariners were eligible for but for which they did not apply. Mariners and their NOK may also make such applications.11
Merchant Mariners and civilian mariners may qualify as veterans under specific circumstances, depending largely on when the mariner served. For more information, see CRS In Focus IF12242, Veteran Status Based on Service with Certain Civilian Groups, by Scott D. Szymendera.
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 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 IF11886, Veteran Suicide Prevention, by Michele L. Malloy and Jared S. Sussman
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 and Carly A. Miller
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
10 MARAD’s Mariner Medals page at https://www.maritime.dot.gov/outreach/mariner-medals#Original%20Awards.
11 Ibid.
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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 R47163, Department of Veterans Affairs: Claims Process and Compensation and Pension Exams by Contracted Physicians, coordinated by Madeline E. Moreno
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 R48056, Department of Veterans Affairs FY2024 Appropriations, by Sidath Viranga Panangala and Jared S. Sussman
CRS Report RS21405, U.S. Periods of War and Dates of Recent Conflicts, by Barbara Salazar Torreon and Carly A. Miller
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.
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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.
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/
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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 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.
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://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015015323671&seq=5.
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.
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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
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Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources
Congressional Research Service RS21282 · VERSION 30 · UPDATED 13
Barbara Salazar Torreon Senior Research Librarian
Travis A. Ferrell
Research Librarian
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