The truth about reconstructing service history for your veteran
ALL THE RECORDS BURNED! WHATEVER WILL WE DO? THERE ARE NO ANSWERS!
Ummmm. Nope. Not true at all so let’s stop being so dramatic. Let’s also stop telling everyone on social media that the big fire burned everything – because it didn’t.
Exploring Fact and Fiction
Was there a fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in 1973? YES.
Did the fire destroy approximately 80% of the Army and Army Air Forces service files or Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs)? YES.
Does that mean I can never know what my Army or Army Air Force veteran experienced? What units he was part of? If he was wounded, sick, taken prisoner, listed as Missing, or anything else? NO. Answers exist.
Am I only reconstructing service if the record burned? NO.
You are reconstructing service for every branch. Why?
OMPFs regardless of military branch do not come to you in a neat storybook package with a timeline of the veteran’s or war dead’s service. They come as official records. Puzzle pieces with dates (which may be confusing on Navy and Marine Corps records). Puzzle pieces of ships, stations, units, Replacement Depots, and more. The OMPFs do not provide context – the experience of your veteran or his unit or ship. You are responsible for sorting the puzzle – creating the military timeline and THEN finding context.
No One Told Us How To Find Answers
The big problem with the fire is that afterward there was no education, even on NARA’s websites or in their materials on how to find answers. How to reconstruct service. It was some big secret until a couple of people wrote books about requesting Army records or medals and looking at uniforms in the late 1990s/early 2000s back when we used to research via mail and more in-person. Those books didn’t actually provide a research strategy and clear direction on what records you needed.
It wasn’t until 2010 when I started researching while writing my first book and found a couple of books on Army service that were so far out of date, that I created the strategy, wrote the books, and started teaching. I required a clear strategy and path to finding answers for myself and I knew I could share that with the world. So I did.
What if the OMPF Burned – Where Do I Go Next?
If you are researching Navy, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, or Marine Corps – those OMPF are at NPRC. Almost none of them were impacted by the fire. As long as your veteran died or was discharged by 62 years ago today (a rolling date) – anyone can request those files.
If you are researching Army or Army Air Force later Air Force – you need to start with Army Company Morning Reports. Where available also get Payroll Reports and Monthly Rosters. Use these to reconstruct service and build your timeline. The Morning Reports will tell you the footsteps and changes of your soldiers.
Once you have the OMPF or the OMPF plus – Morning Reports or Payroll Reports or Monthly Rosters or Naval Muster Rolls or Marine Corps Muster Rolls – then you create a military timeline of service.
From there once you have established what units, ships or stations apply to your veteran’s service, you are ready to locate contextual unit records. This may include ship war diaries, deck logs, and Armed Guard Reports. Unit histories, regimental histories, journals, diaries, maps, photos, mission reports, After Action Reports, and so many other possibilities.
What does the OMPF Tell You or Not Tell You?
You will discover: The OMPF will provide puzzle pieces. Dates, places, changes in rank, MOS (job), next of kin details, biographical details, transfers, units, perhaps MIA or KIA information, medical and dental details as they pertain to service history while in military service. On occasion you will also find vital records for family members (to help prove legal NOK) or probate records, adoption records, mental hospital commitment papers, and other interesting things. The occasional family letter. Learn more in my article: Exploring the Official Military Personnel File (OMPF).
You will not find: Details on their personal life, thoughts, feelings, and how they handled anything. You will not find information on post-war life. You will not discover every minute detail about their combat experience.
A book was recently published about the 1973 Fire at the NPRC, called “The Erased Generation.” In this book, the author tells you the history, repeats himself a lot, provides incorrect facts about some records, and reconstructs three Army histories in the briefest way possible without providing you a clear strategy. While this book does have some merit – let’s talk about the unrealistic expectations of information in the OMPF he presents. Full disclosure, I purchased this book on 3 May 2026 on Amazon and it is his first edition. The author indicated he may update this book later.
In one of his reconstructions of Army service about a soldier named Leo who was wounded, he wrote in part: “The surviving record…does not record who carried him from the field.” No OMPF will tell you that. If he died then perhaps in the IDPF there may be some notation of who attempted to help him after he was wounded and died. The OMPF is not going to give you a play by play of anything. It provides puzzle pieces. Additionally, within a unit history, you may discover a notation about who helped him but usually not.
He goes on to say, in part: “It does not say how long he lay wounded before reaching aid.” Unless there is an eyewitness account somewhere – again you are not going to find that in the OMPF. This level of detail was never recorded in their official record.
He also adds, which made me wonder if he’s actually read more than one or two OMPFs, “it does not tell us whether he married, … spoke of the war …how the wound shaped the rest of his life….”
Let me make this clear – when you were discharged – the military was done keeping tabs on you. No OMPF is going to give you post-discharge details on his personal life or wounds or medals. Although once I did see a notation about a Bronze Star being award post-discharge in a mostly burned file. In fact, even while you are in service, you are not going to get that level of detail. If you want to know more about his wounds or illnesses – attempt to get his VA File. You are not going to find this level of detail in any OMPF.
Finally, on the subject of this book, the author also, in multiple places tells people the Draft Registration Card contains the military service number. IT DOES NOT. A Draft card means you registered and were eligible for service. It does not mean you served. See my article on the Draft Card for more information.
Are OMPFs the Same for Every Branch?
OMPFs for World War II are similar in content for all military branches. Each branch however does have it’s own forms. So a medical or transfer form for one branch may look different in another branch.
Where Can I see an OMPF?
Have you ever seen an OMPF for any branch? If not, visit my WWII Research and Writing Center site and explore some WWII Record Examples. These files will give you an idea of typical contents.
If you are ready to start a research or writing project, or would like to brush up on your WWI, WWII, Korea, or Vietnam research skills, visit my online store and sign up for one of the upcoming Small Group Coaching sessions – specific to your military branch. You can also reach out for a free research or book writing consult to jennifer@ancestralsouls.com
© 2026 WWII Research & Writing Center
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