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USA World War II Army Enlistment

Historical Context: United States Army involvement in World War II formally began with attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. Germany, Italy, the Soviet Union, Japan, and China had already been fighting with the United Kingdom, France, and other forces as early as 1939 with the invasion by Germany into Poland.

Questions Asked:
Serial number
Name
State and county of residence
Place of enlistment
Date of enlistment
Grade
Army Branch
Term of enlistment
Longevity
Nativity (place of birth)
Year of birth
Race
Education
Civilian Occupation
Marital status
Height and weight (before 1943)
Military occupational specialty (1945 and later)
Component
Box and reel number of the microfilmed punch cards

Why This Database is Valuable: With more than nine million American men and women involved in the European and Pacific conflicts, there is a high likelihood that a relative of someone searching today could have fought in World War II. These records lead to further information about the person, and to further records concerning pensions, and medical records.

Next Steps: After finding pertinent information for a veteran, requesting whatever military records are available is the next step to receiving pension records, medical records, and other personnel files. Due to a fire at the St. Louis facility in 1973, it is less likely to find military records between 1912 and 1959, but there are possibilities. In order to view original records at the facility is it highly recommended to make an appointment by calling the NPRC Archival Research Room in St. Louis, MO: 314-801-0850. Research room hours are 10 AM to 4 PM CT Tuesday through Friday.

The following is from the National Personnel Records Center:

The National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records (NPRC-MPR) is the repository of millions of military personnel, health, and medical records of discharged and deceased veterans of all services during the 20th century. (Records prior to WWI are in Washington, DC.) NPRC (MPR) also stores medical treatment records of retirees from all services, as well as records for dependent and other persons treated at naval medical facilities. Information from the records is made available upon written request (with signature and date) to the extent allowed by law.

This site is provided for those seeking information regarding military personnel, health and medical records stored at NPRC (MPR).

If you are a veteran or next-of-kin of a deceased veteran, you may now use vetrecs.archives.gov to order a copy of your military records. For all others, your request is best made using a Standard Form 180. It includes complete instructions for preparing and submitting requests. Please Note: All requests must be in writing, signed and mailed to us at the address shown below.

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

http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/index.html

National Archives and Records Administration. Office of Records Services - Washington, D.C. Modern Records Programs. Electronic and Special Media Records Services Division. Series from Record Group 64: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. Although this series was created in 2002, it contains information from the period 1938 through 1946. The agency converted the Army Serial Number microfilm of computer punch cards to electronic form to support the military records reconstruction project. This file resulted from a subsequent project to prepare the records for use in the Access to Archival Databases project.