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U.S. Army Personnel Rosters and Morning Reports are available
from the National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Blvd., St.
Louis, MO. 63132, 314-538-4261. The request must be made in
writing. State that the request is a Freedom of Information Act
Request and give complete unit information (as specific as
possible including company and platoon), and month and year of
the roster/reports that you are requesting. Because the quality
of the records can be poor, it is advisable to ask for rosters a
few months before and after the actual month you are looking for.
There are usually no fees charged for "Freedom of Information Act
Requests." Turnaround time can be very slow. Plan on several
months.
Operations Reports/Lessons Learned (ORLL) and other primary
source material about Army units in Vietnam such as radio logs,
unit journals, and after action reports, are stored at the
Textual Reference Branch, National Archives II, 8601 Adelphi
Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001, 301-713-7250, fax 301-713-7482.
Call and ask to speak with an Archivist specializing in the
Vietnam War before going to the Archives. They can assist in
determining whether materials you are interested in are available
and explain how to obtain a researcher's card to examine the
documents.
Similar reference assistance may also be obtained from the U.S.
Army Center for Military History, 1099 14th Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20005, 202-761-5413, and the U.S. Army Military
History Institute, Bldg. 22, Upton Hall, Carlisle Barracks,
Carlisle, PA 17013-5008, 717-245-3611, fax 717-245-3711.
Obtaining Military Records: Army
Complete military and medical records, including DD-214s, can be
obtained by veterans or their next of kin, if the veteran has
died. Non relatives may also request this information, but what
they will receive will be limited and will not include date of
birth, official photo, records of court martial for active duty
personnel, medical information, social security number, or
present address. State that the request is being made under the
Freedom of Information Act.
Requests for military records must be made on a government form,
SF 180. This form is available on the Internet at
http://www..va.gov/forms/index.htm Scroll to the bottom of the
page, as the SF 180: Request Pertaining to Military Records is
the last one listed. You may also call 314-538-4261 and leave a
message to have a form sent to you.
You cannot request an entire file, each document must be named
and only those named specifically will be provided. Names of
documents include unit orders, awards and commendations,
efficiency reports and ratings, promotion orders, records of
court martial or other disciplinary actions, assignment and
reassignment orders, photographs, qualification records, and
report of separation(DD-214).
When requesting medical records a statement should be included
that they are needed by a current physician. If information is
being requested regarding a specific injury or illness, that
should be specified. If records regarding hospitalizations are
needed, provide the dates that the hospitalization occurred and
the name of the hospital.
Send the SF 180 to the National Personnel Records Center, 9700
Page Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63132-5100. Expect a significant
waiting period before receiving the information. Requests citing
VA claims and medical emergencies receive priority.
Obtaining and Replacing Medals: Army
Form DD-214 and/or the awards and commendations document from the
veteran's military records will list awards, commendations, and
accompanying medals earned. Medals can be replaced by sending a
copy of these documents and an accompanying request to Commander,
U.S. Army Reserve Personnel Center, ATTN: DARP-PAS-EAW, 9700 Page
Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63132-5200.
Obtaining Unit Records: Marines
Unit diaries, which include rosters, through 1966 are located at
the Marine Corps Historical Center. The records are arranged by
month and year, and list the officers and enlisted men within a
unit at the company level or the battalion/squadron level. These
documents may be examined in person or may be requested in
writing, one month and year per letter. As soon as one request is
received, another may be submitted. Specify exact unit
information and state that the request is being made under the
Freedom of Information Act. Send or fax written requests to the
Marine Corps Historical Center, Reference Section, Building 58,
Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC 20374-0580, 202-433-3483,
Fax: 202-433-4691.
Unit diaries and rosters from 1967 forward are available by
written request only. The procedure above applies. Send requests
to CMC HQ Marine Corps, Records Service Section, Code MMSB-10,
"Unit Diaries", HQ, U.S. Marine Corps, 2008 Elliot Road, Suite
201, Quantico VA 22134-5030. 703-640-3934,3935,3939,3940.
Marine Corps operations reports, including plans, command
diaries, command chronologies, and after action reports from 1964
are located at the Marine Corps Historical Center, Archives
Section, Building 58, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC 20374,
201-433-3439. Call in advance and speak with the archivist about
your request. Marine Corps reports through 1963 are located at
the Textual Reference Branch, National Archives II, 8601 Adelphi
Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001, 301-713-7250, Fax: 301-713-7482.
Again, call and speak with an archivist before sending a request or
visiting.
Obtaining Military Records: Marines
Complete military and medical records, including DD-214s, can be
obtained by veterans or their next of kin, if the veteran has
died. Non relatives may also request this information, but what
they will receive will be limited and will not include date of
birth, official photo, records of court martial for active duty
personnel, medical information, social security number, or
present address. State that the request is being made under the
Freedom of Information Act for all releasable data.
Requests for military records must be made on a government form,
SF 180. This form is available on the Internet at
http://www.va.gov/forms/index.htm Scroll to the bottom of the
page, as the SF 180: Request Pertaining to Military Records is
the last one listed. You may also call 314-538-4243 and leave a
message to have a form sent to you.
You cannot request an entire file, each document must be named
and only those named specifically will be provided. Names of
documents include unit orders, awards and commendations,
efficiency reports and ratings, promotion orders, records of
court martial or other disciplinary actions, assignment and
reassignment orders, photographs, qualification records, and
report of separation(DD-214).
When requesting medical records a statement should be included
that they are needed by a current physician. If information is
being requested regarding a specific injury or illness, that
should be specified. If records regarding hospitalizations are
needed, provide the dates that the hospitalization occurred and
the name of the hospital.
Provide as much information as possible about the person whose
records are being requested. This might include name, service
number, social security number, service dates, date of birth, and
branch of service, as well as any other piece of known pertinent
information.
Send the SF 180 to the National Personnel Records Center, 9700
Page Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63132-5100. Expect a significant
waiting period before receiving the information. Requests citing
VA claims and medical emergencies receive priority.
Obtaining and Replacing Medals: Marines
Form DD-214 and/or the awards and commendations document from the
veteran's military records will list awards, commendations, and
accompanying medals earned. Medals can be replaced by sending a
copy of these documents and an accompanying request to National
Personnel Records Center (Military Personnel Records), 9700 Page
Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63132-5200.
Which is probably the best way to do it. By the way, sending evidence
via mail, even certified or registered mail, is not a good idea as
they have a deal with the post office where they don't have to sign
for it. That means you can't prove they got it.
Send it instead via UPS letter or FedEx letter because either one
will send you proof of delivery if you ask for it (copy of signature
of person signing for it).