Search Military Records By Serial Number

You can only get limited information about non-archival records without the consent of the veteran or next-of-kin. Non-archival records are those from 62 years ago to the present. Learn about access to non-archival military records by the general public and researchers.

Search Military Records By Serial Number

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You can order older military personnel records online or with a downloadable form. You may have to pay a fee for copies of archival Official Military Personnel Files, including those of veterans discharged more than 62 years ago.

To check the status of your order for recent records (World War I - Present), contact the National Personnel Records Center. For older military records (generally before 1917), contact the National Archives.

Veterans' military service records and medical records are not online. However, veterans and next-of-kin can order copies of these records. How to request military service records

While most of our holdings are not online, a variety of military records, from photos to documents to searchable databases are available. Listed below are online collections of specific interest to veterans, their families and researchers. Additional online records may be found by searching the National Archives Catalog and Access to Archival Databases (AAD) systems.

The National Archives holds Federal military service records from the Revolutionary War to 1912 in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Military service records from WWI - present are held in the National Military Personnel Records Center (NPRC), in St. Louis, Missouri. See details of holdings.

The Missouri State Archives holds nearly 1 million pages that document the service of Missourians in domestic and foreign wars between 1812 and World War I. These military records primarily consist of individual service cards, but the extensive collection also includes muster rolls, special orders, reports, and more.

The database is searchable by name or unit and searches can also be limited to a particular war. Images of the original service records are linked to most database records. Many of the records are incomplete; see Guidelines for Use for more details. A brief Abstract of Wars is available, with additional links.

The original service cards contain a wealth of information, such as name, race, residence, place and date of enlistment, place of birth/age or date of birth, rank, wounds or other injuries, dates of service, and date of discharge. Some cards also include dates of overseas service, where applicable, and serial number. Service cards were originally created to collect historical and statistical information about the men and women who served in the military. The cards were prepared by abstracting information from original soldiers and sailors service records. The cards were maintained by the Missouri Adjutant General's office until their transfer to the Missouri State Archives. Today, they are a wonderful source of historical and genealogical information.

Family members is good place to start your research. Gather all the information you can, such as letters, stories, newspaper clippings, grave markers, etc. Knowing the person's army serial number, bomb/fighter group affiliation, hometown, date of birth and place and date of death are important for continued research.

Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA).Located at Maxwell AFB Alabama. A great potential source for unit information and for purchasing microfilm records. Replies may take five to six months, but the wait is well worth it.

Records of the Quartermaster General of Indiana include details on the issuance of camp supplies and ordnance to the volunteer and militia troops. Ordnance records unfortunately do not record the serial numbers of specific weapons nor to whom they were assigned.

The primary resource for Indiana Civil War veterans is the Enrollment of Soldiers, Widows and Orphans, three statewide registrations of veterans and their survivors taken in 1886, 1890 and 1894. Each enrollment lists alphabetically the name of the veteran, the unit he served in, the war he fought in (Mexican or Civil), the number of children under 16, and any wounds and illness contracted in service. There is an alphabetical card index to the 1886 enrollment available at the State Library, but the records can be searched at the State Archives by county and township.

The Indiana State Archives does not hold information concerning pension files for Mexican or Civil War Veterans. The Indiana State Library does have the Index to the Pension Files available on microfilm in their Genealogy Division. Pension Files and other military records can be ordered through the National Archives online. Fold3 has digitized the Widows' Pension Files, but a paid subscription is required.

Other sources of information about veterans are the 1939 WPA Veterans' Graves Registration and the records of the Indiana Department of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). Many of the county grave registrations have been indexed on the Indiana Digital Archives, and many more will be added upon the move to the Research Indiana Indexes.

Search military records of non-commissioned officers and other ranks on Ancestry.co.uk () and Findmypast.co.uk () including service records (WO 363), pension records (WO 364) and campaign medal cards.

Search for the hospital admission and discharge records () of servicemen in MH 106 on Findmypast.co.uk. The records include admissions and discharge records from military hospitals, field ambulances, and casualty clearing stations. Details of servicemen may include year of birth, service number, rank and hospital admission date.

Note: CMH also has copies of some of the operational records relating to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn. Due to the subject matter, the vast majority of these records as still classified and access to these records will be limited to official researchers with the appropriate security clearances only.

The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) maintains military records on many Illinois veterans. If you are an Illinois native or have ever visited one of our Veteran Service Officers, we may have a copy of your DD 214 on file. If your records are not on file with IDVA, our Veteran Service Officers can assist you in requesting a certified copy from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO.

This comprehensive military history collection includes more than 8.7 million records of men and women who enlisted to serve in the United States Army during World War II. These transcriptions include enlistments from 1938 to 1946. The original punch cards enlistees completed when they joined the army were destroyed after being microfilmed in 1947. This collection contains a listing that is still useful for genealogists to find ancestors who enrolled.

Please note that the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System contains just an index of the men who served in the Civil War with only rudimentary information from the service records (including name, rank and unit in which they served). The full service records are housed at the National Archives and Records Administration. Click here for information about obtaining copies of those records, using the film number listed in the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System record.

In 1973, a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Mo. destroyed approximately 80% of Army Personnel discharge records from 1912 through 1960, complicating research on the service of WWI Veterans.

State-level records remain, some of which are available in our Edward Jones Research Center. Other records have been made available online through the efforts of various organizations and individuals.

This register includes records for those buried and memorialized at WWI military cemeteries overseas. It does not include individuals who died overseas and were repatriated to the United States for burial. -search

Denver Public Library: Colorado Military Research Tools - Search through multiple collections of WWI records from the Denver Public Library, including draft registration cards, an index of Colorado's minority soldiers and the state's causalities in Europe. -military

Kansas Memory: Soldier Search - Around 1919, the Kansas State Historical Society and the American Legion solicited biographical information from returning veterans (primarily members of the 35th and 89th infantry divisions) and the families of those who died in service, notably from the Gold Star Mothers. Each veteran or family member was asked to provide letters, photographs, a biography, and military records.

Hathi Trust Digital Library: WWI Military and Naval Records - Digitized and searchable records from Maryland in the World War, 1917-1919; Military and Naval Service Records are available through the University of Michigan and Columbia University.

Mississippi World War I Statement of Service Cards and Indices - These records from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, digitized by FamilySearch, document the World War I-era military service of thousands of Mississippians. Included are indices listing Mississippi veterans along with statement of service cards providing details about their service. _archives/wwicards

Missouri Digital Heritage: Soldiers' Records: War of 1812 - World War I - The Missouri State Archives holds nearly 1 million pages that document the service of Missourians in domestic and foreign wars between 1812 and World War I. These military records primarily consist of individual service cards, but the extensive collection also includes muster rolls, special orders, reports, and more.

Rhode Island Department of State: WWI Records - This collection of records from the Rhode Island Department of State includes WWI service cards, statements of military service, records on Army nurses, and more. _a197818a-b752-4937-b9c3-b8760dcaef5e/ 2ff7e9595c