How to Get WWII Military Records
Learn how to get a WWII vet's military records if you're next-of-kin to a deceased WWII vet, a member of the general public, or a vet seeking access to your own records.
Up next in How to Find Public Records & Legal Documents (20 videos)
Learn how to access important documents with these videos.
You Will Need
- Internet access
- Available military records
- Computer printer
- Death certificate of veteran
- Hired researcher
- Perseverance
Steps
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Step 1
Search for any available military records
Search for any available military records online. Having information, such as the vet's service number, can help cut through government red tape.
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Step 2
Go to the National Archives website
Go to the National Archives' Access to Archival Databases (AAD) online database. Do a fielded search of Army enlistment records.
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A fielded search can require the veteran's full name, service number, state of residence, place of enlistment, and/or birth year.
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Step 3
Use the eVetRecs online database
Use the eVetRecs online database to directly request copies of a vet's military records. Only vets and deceased vets' next-of-kin are allowed access.
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Step 4
Print out the signature verification form
Print out the signature verification form from eVetRecs. Mail or fax the signed form. For next-of-kin, include proof of death of the veteran.
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Proof of death can include a death certificate, a letter from the funeral home, or a published newspaper obituary.
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Step 5
Go to the NPRC website site
Go to the National Personnel Records Center website if you're not a WWII vet or next-of-kin of a deceased vet. Print, fill out, and mail Standard Form 180.
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Step 6
Hire a researcher for complicated searches
Hire a researcher for more complicated searches. A good starting point is the list of researchers for hire on the National Archives website.
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Eighty percent of all Army personnel files from 1912-1960 were destroyed in a 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center.
