Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Holdings

OMPF, Archival Holdings

* Records are accessioned into the National Archives, and become archival, 62 years after the service member's separation from the military. This is a rolling date; hence, the current year, 2023, minus 62 years is 1961. Records with a discharge date of 1961 or prior are archival and are open to the public. Records with a discharge date of 1962 or after are non-archival and are maintained under the Federal Records Center program. Non-archival records are subject to access restrictions. Click Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Federal (non-archival) Holdings to access these records.

Please Note: On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the NPRC destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files. The records affected:

See 1973 Fire for more information on the records affected and the alternate sources used to reconstruct basic service information.

Older military personnel records, generally prior to WWI depending on the service branch (see Records Location Table), are on file at the National Archives and Records Administration, Old Military and Civil Records Branch (NWCTB), Washington, DC 20408. See Requesting Copies of Older Military Service Records for more information.