There is a big myth that surrounds military research which is, If I have the Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) also known as a service file, then I’ll have my veteran’s entire story.
Nope. You won’t.
I hear a lot of people tell others when they teach or write or give an interview that the OMPF is the goldmine and that’s basically all you need. That if you have this file you never need to reconstruct service (because it didn’t burn). Nope. It’s not the only piece of gold you need. Everyone is reconstructing military service even if you have the OMPF. It IS a goldmine of information but it’s also just one large piece of a big puzzle.
Before the pitchforks come out and people start coming at me, let me explain.
The OMPF is a vital record set for your research. It will:
- Contain a lot of puzzle pieces for your research project.
- Contain information on enlistment; discharge or death; wounds or illness; awards and commendations; training; POW experience; MOS (job); rank(s); overseas service; places where training took place; major battles or campaigns fought; medical information; possible Court Martial information; photos (sometimes); family letters (sometimes); vital records/divorce papers/court docs/mental health papers, adoption papers (sometimes) and many other pieces of information.
- Provide you with enough information to create a timeline of service and then proceed with unit level records for context and other records and resources.
It will not:
- Arrive in complete chronological order.
- Give you the context and full details about an illness, wound, or death (usually).
- Provide all details about POW experience.
- Will not give you the context of every battle and experience in training or combat.
If the OMPF burned in the 1973 fire at the NPRC in St. Louis, then you have a more challenging job, but answers can still be found. Schedule a free consult with me to research your veteran’s WWI-Vietnam service today by emailing me at jennifer@ancestralsouls.com and I’ll help you find answers.
Example: USMC WWII OMPF
I’m putting together a report for a client whose father was in the Fourth Marine Division during World War II. I have his full OMPF. When I received it, I looked it over and started putting the pages into more of a chronological order. Now, it’s important to note that no file can be in complete chronological order because some pages have multiple dated entries that may not be in order.
As I put together this Marine’s timeline of service, I’m jumping from 1943 to 1944 to 1945, back to 1944, back to 1945, as I review the information on each page.
Example #1: At the beginning of the file there is a slim document that lists all the units this Marine was in along with dates and some ships on which he sailed when leaving the U.S. and returning. This is a skeleton for my timeline of service – knowing what dates and where he was. But there is more later in the file.
Example #2: one page lists multiple detailed paragraph movements of the men via LSTs or LSMs, ships or airplanes from 1943 to 1945. I have dates, vessel numbers or names, and where they were going. Some of this information is on other pages but with additional details. So it requires maneuvering all over the research report to enter information.
Example #3: Within many pages of this file I can also find additional unit details along with the rank changes for this Marine. Those also jump all over the timeline.
There are many other details within this file but the bottom line is, using this file I can put together a good foundation of the units, where someone was, and what the basics were of his experience. If I want to know more and understand the context of his experience, I have to consult many other records. This is why research should be done in two parts to accurately reconstruct someone’s history and tell the correct story.
Every record we obtain helps us tell the greater story. If the basics are all you need, the OMPF may be enough for you. Just know, there is so much more we can get to fill in the gaps and really understand someone’s journey through war. When we understand their experience, it helps us understand who they were once the war ended, how they raised their family and lived, and what may have been passed down through the generations to us to carry and heal.
Would you like to know how to reconstruct service on your own? I have a six-webinar program with workbooks and a coaching session available in my Honoring Our Heroes program. You can learn more and purchase access using the link.
Do you need help researching your WWI or WWII veteran?
I can help! Schedule a free consult with me to research your veteran’s WWI-Vietnam service today by emailing me at jennifer@ancestralsouls.com and I’ll help you find answers.
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