What Can & Cannot Be Researched?

Pre-WWI (1775-1916)

Information can be found about military service, if you have an ancestor involved in any of the conflicts, Revolutionary War to the Spanish-Philippines War. There are significant challenges and limitations for this research.

Possible Sources:

• Compiled Military Service Records

• Pension application files

• State militia and volunteer unit records

• Regimental histories and rosters

Important Limitations: Records for pre-WWI service are maintained at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and follow different research protocols than for WWI and later records. These records are:

• Often fragmentary compared to modern files

• Primarily available through microfilm or digitized collections

• Heavily dependent on state volunteer records rather than federal files

• May require extensive genealogical detective work to locate

Thoroughly researching veterans in this area is cost prohibitive as it would likely involve extensive travel and time.

WWI-WWII (1917-1949)

This era is a bit easier to research as there are several advantages available to researchers. First and foremost, the availability of records is greater due to better record-keeping. There is a wealth of material particularly in WWII due to units maintaining unit histories. Another advantage is the declassification of most if not all records pertaining to the wars.

Possible Sources:

• Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF) from The National Archives and Records Administration in St. Louis. (See Caveats)

• Comprehensive service documentation

• Unit histories and operational records

• Medical records

Korea – Today (1950-Present)   

The more recent the records, the more likely they are to be still classified, unavailable due to privacy restrictions, or not available for other reasons. However, it is still possible to get records from this era, an OMPF is always availabe to the veteran or their next-of-kin (See Caveats). Other records may be available depending on the conflict.

Possible Sources: Same as Above

CAVEATS

*The 1973 Fire: A devastating fire at NARA, St. Louis in 1973 destroyed approximately 16-18 million personnel files:

• 75-80% of Army records (1912-1960)

• 75% of Air Force records (1947-1964, names after Hubbard, James E.)

For fire-affected records, we use alternate sources to reconstruct service history, but results vary significantly.

*The 62-Year Rule: Military personnel records become archival and open to the public 62 years after separation from service.
This is a rolling date (current year minus 62 years).

In 2025, this means:

• Records from 1963 and earlier are fully accessible to anyone

• Records from 1964 and later are restricted by privacy laws

For Restricted Records (post-1963): We can only research these veterans with:

1.   Written authorization from the veteran, OR

2.   Authorization from next-of-kin if the veteran is deceased (requires proof of death)

Without authorization, only limited information is publicly releasable under FOIA. There are NO exceptions to this rule.

Who Needs to Provide Authorization?

For veterans who separated from service less than 62 years ago (currently 1964 or later):

• The veteran themselves, OR

• Next-of-kin if deceased (un-remarried widow/widower, son, daughter, father, mother, brother, or sister)

What the Authorization Must Include:

1.   Veteran's complete name as used in service

2.   Service number and/or Social Security Number (Both are useful in verifying that we have the correct veteran)

3.   Branch of service, if known: dates of service

4.   Specific authorization for Dusty to Digital to request records

For deceased veterans, next-of-kin must also provide:

• Proof of death (death certificate, funeral home letter, or published obituary)

• Proof of next-of-kin relationship if not obvious from documents

We provide a standard authorization form upon request.