Information is current as of 5 January 2020.
One of the most important files a researcher needs if he or she is investigating the life and death of a soldier, sailor, or Marine who was Killed In Action or died in World War II, is the Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF.)
Caution! I have heard from many overseas researchers that when they have the IDPF for their soldier they are researching or whose grave they have adopted, that they have the entire story. This is incorrect. The IDPF provides information on a soldier for one moment in time. It is usually never the entire story as many soldiers were in more units during their overseas service, than the one listed on the IDPF. Please investigate other records to learn the full story about your soldier.
What is the IDPF?
The IDPF is a collection of documents created when a soldier was declared Missing In Action and never recovered or died in the war. When I say a soldier died in the war, it could be he was Killed In Action, died as a POW, or died of wounds. Regardless of how he died, he died while serving. These files contain a wealth of information about a soldier, range from 20 pages to over 100, and include but not limited to the following information:
- Location, time, date, and cause of death.
- Location, time, date and place of temporary burial. Sometimes this is an isolated grave or unknown location until after the war.
- Documents which detail burial, disinterment, final burial information.
- Handwritten letters from family members.
- Letters from the military, Congressmen, U.S. military organizations to the family.
- Maps, search area testimony and documentation if the soldier was recovered from a crash site or not located immediately.
- Dental and physical charts and information.
- Stateside service training locations and dates.
Myth: Some researchers will tell you a soldier’s Official Military Personnel File (OMPF), also known as the service file, was included in the IDPF. This is incorrect. If your soldier’s file burned in 1973 you will not find a duplicate in his IDPF. Specific details from the OMPF may be included, but not always. It depends on the circumstances of the soldier’s death.
Access of IDPFs for Surnames started with A-L:
The National Archives at St. Louis (same location as the NPRC) has the IDPFs for:
- IDPFs for surnames starting with A-L are available to the public at NPRC in St. Louis.
- There is no option at this time for a scanned copy. Paper only and they charge you a fee.
Request the IDPF
- Hire us to have the IDPF pulled with other records available that NPRC will not search for you. We will provide analysis of the file and records obtained to reconstruct your service member’s history and suggested resources to pursue next.
- Or, download Form 180 and select the box that says OTHER and write in IDPF and wait up to several months to receive the file.
- Send NARA a letter stating you wish to have a copy of the IDPF under FOIA. State the individual’s name, branch of service, serial/service number, date of death, and birth date. If you have a common name then you might include a little more identifying information.
National Archives - St. Louis 1 Archives Drive St. Louis, MO 63138 314-801-0800
Access of IDPFs for Surnames started with M-Z:
Currently, these files are at the NPRC in St. Louis but are not accessible. Since 2017 we are still waiting for information on when the public can access them. You can try submitting a FOIA request to Ft. Knox where the records were held for surnames M-Z and wait 2-3 years for a response.
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