Vets, You may want to get your records before they are destroyed

jerry · 09-12-2004, 07:38 PM

FYI , please pass it on.

The National Personnel Record Center that is responsible for maintaining archives of our military records is automating their storage and management of our military records. When this is complete they plan to destroy the hard copies of the records unless requested by the veteran or a deceased veteran's family to send those records to them.

If a veteran or members of the deceased veteran's family wants to request those records be sent to them instead of being destroyed he/she can make a request by mail to:

National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100

or:
make the request online at:

http://vetrecs.archives.gov/
When you submit your request online, a signature form downloadable from the site can be sent to you for completion and submission. The National Personnel Records Center will then send you an e-mail acknowledging your request.

colt45 · 09-12-2004, 08:10 PM

just sent for mine, US. Army and USMC. see how long this takes.

NRAJOE · 09-12-2004, 09:28 PM

Thanks Jerr...

Big Dog · 09-13-2004, 05:16 AM

Thanks for the heads-up, Jerry!

Here in the Florida Dept. of Education, we changed over our teacher records from hard-copies to storeage on a laser-disk format years ago. The teachers can still call in or write in and get copies of them made. This was done in order to speed up the time it took for the records technician to access the records, and also two or more users can access the same record at the same time, if need be. Basically, access time went from minutes (or longer, if someone else was using the records), to mere seconds. Also, digital copies are kept off-site for secure storage.
So, even after the digital conversion, you can still get a copy of your records if you want them. But, I'd still like to have the originals myself.

whirlwind · 09-14-2004, 10:16 PM

in the past,has anyone got the excuse "they were destroyed in a fire" before? ive gotten it twice! the third time they sent me my dd-214 (which was supposed to have been ashes twice) it doesnt matter what ya do or what new system they put in your bound to get screwed one way or another.

dasher · 10-02-2004, 02:32 AM

Thanks for the heads up...jerry! I will pass it on.

Jay · 10-02-2004, 11:50 AM

From the govt archives web site.....
http://www.archives.gov/research_roo...ecs/index.html

"Attention: There is a rumor circulating among veteran service organizations that Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) at the National Personnel Records Center will be digitized and then destroyed. This rumor is NOT TRUE.

Neither the Department of Defense (DoD) nor the National Personnel Records Center intend to destroy any OMPFs stored at the Center. The purpose of any electronic scanning would be to reduce the handling of fragile records during the reference process or to reduce the time necessary to locate and answer an OMPF inquiry.

The National Archives and Records Administration preserves and protects OMPFs because they are permanently valuable records that document the essential evidence of military service for the veterans of our nation."

Dallas · 10-02-2004, 12:48 PM

None the less, thanks, I saw this thread a couple weeks ago and sent my request in. As soon as I can get my deceased fathers' SSN, I 'll send in a request for his too. Just remember I believe we all have experience with the government saying one thing and then doing something else. Once those records are scanned and in the computer there is no reason for the government to keep the paper in storage. Civilian companies don't after they scan their documents. The government will save a couple of bucks by not having to store tons of paper in a climate controlled environment.

When I placed my request for a copy of my file, the website said there was currently about a 25 week backlog on getting a copy sent to me. I wonder if the notice about not destroying the records has more to do with saving man power and getting the records copied quicker, so they can then be destroyed. Than with the honesty of their on line statement about only copying the paperwork.

Time will tell. Who's betting on Government honesty????

09-12-2004, 07:38 PM	#1
jerry Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 10,640 Images: 9 Blog Entries: 1	Vets, You may want to get your records before they are destroyed FYI , please pass it on. The National Personnel Record Center that is responsible for maintaining archives of our military records is automating their storage and management of our military records. When this is complete they plan to destroy the hard copies of the records unless requested by the veteran or a deceased veteran's family to send those records to them. If a veteran or members of the deceased veteran's family wants to request those records be sent to them instead of being destroyed he/she can make a request by mail to: National Personnel Records Center Military Personnel Records 9700 Page Ave. St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 or: make the request online at: http://vetrecs.archives.gov/ When you submit your request online, a signature form downloadable from the site can be sent to you for completion and submission. The National Personnel Records Center will then send you an e-mail acknowledging your request. __________________

09-12-2004, 08:10 PM	#2
colt45 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Occupied Territories of New York (Buffalo) Posts: 2,898	just sent for mine, US. Army and USMC. see how long this takes. __________________ "A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity" -Sigmund Freud, General Introduction to Psychoanalysis "If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective." - Ted Nugent "Self-defense is Nature's eldest law." -John Dryden

09-12-2004, 09:28 PM	#3
NRAJOE Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Toledo,OH Posts: 18,662 Images: 5	Thanks Jerr... __________________ U.S. Army 1976-1979 237th Combat Engineers Heilbronn, Germany

09-13-2004, 05:16 AM	#4
Big Dog Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 9,473	Thanks for the heads-up, Jerry! Here in the Florida Dept. of Education, we changed over our teacher records from hard-copies to storeage on a laser-disk format years ago. The teachers can still call in or write in and get copies of them made. This was done in order to speed up the time it took for the records technician to access the records, and also two or more users can access the same record at the same time, if need be. Basically, access time went from minutes (or longer, if someone else was using the records), to mere seconds. Also, digital copies are kept off-site for secure storage. So, even after the digital conversion, you can still get a copy of your records if you want them. But, I'd still like to have the originals myself. __________________ Moderator of: AR15/M16, M14/M1A, New/Beginning Shooters and Militaria/Collectables.

09-14-2004, 10:16 PM	#5
whirlwind Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: oklahoma Posts: 3,713	in the past,has anyone got the excuse "they were destroyed in a fire" before? ive gotten it twice! the third time they sent me my dd-214 (which was supposed to have been ashes twice) it doesnt matter what ya do or what new system they put in your bound to get screwed one way or another. __________________ De oppresso liber !

10-02-2004, 02:32 AM	#6
dasher Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Tenn. Posts: 10	Thanks for the heads up...jerry! I will pass it on.

10-02-2004, 11:50 AM	#7
Jay Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 74 Images: 2	No Offense, but ...... NOT TRUE ! From the govt archives web site..... http://www.archives.gov/research_roo...ecs/index.html "Attention: There is a rumor circulating among veteran service organizations that Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) at the National Personnel Records Center will be digitized and then destroyed. This rumor is NOT TRUE. Neither the Department of Defense (DoD) nor the National Personnel Records Center intend to destroy any OMPFs stored at the Center. The purpose of any electronic scanning would be to reduce the handling of fragile records during the reference process or to reduce the time necessary to locate and answer an OMPF inquiry. The National Archives and Records Administration preserves and protects OMPFs because they are permanently valuable records that document the essential evidence of military service for the veterans of our nation."

10-02-2004, 12:48 PM	#8
Dallas PUKHA DAWG Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C. Posts: 3,581	None the less, thanks, I saw this thread a couple weeks ago and sent my request in. As soon as I can get my deceased fathers' SSN, I 'll send in a request for his too. Just remember I believe we all have experience with the government saying one thing and then doing something else. Once those records are scanned and in the computer there is no reason for the government to keep the paper in storage. Civilian companies don't after they scan their documents. The government will save a couple of bucks by not having to store tons of paper in a climate controlled environment. When I placed my request for a copy of my file, the website said there was currently about a 25 week backlog on getting a copy sent to me. I wonder if the notice about not destroying the records has more to do with saving man power and getting the records copied quicker, so they can then be destroyed. Than with the honesty of their on line statement about only copying the paperwork. Time will tell. Who's betting on Government honesty????

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