RECORDS RECONSTRUCTION
17,516,376 military records were destroyed or damaged in a major fire which occurred at this Center on July 12, 1973. The fire affected the military records of Army personnel who served from 1912 to 1959, and Air Force personnel with surnames Hubbard through “Z”, who served from 1947 to 1963. This section will provide reference information to assist you in reconstructing data that was lost in the fire; however, because of the complexities involved in the reconstruction process, this section cannot possibly address all of the many situations which will occur as you attempt this process. It can be a very difficult and time-consuming challenge to reconstruct the needed information, as can be attested by the large number of memos that provide guidance and detailed procedures in this process. Those memos are listed below:
1865.3
Source Document Guide
1865.32
Verification, Misplaced, & “Can’t Find” Records Searches
1865.104
General Background/Reference Information
1865.106
Routine Auxiliary Records Searches
1865.107
Miscellaneous Correspondence Procedures Unique to Reconstruction
1865.111
Internal Sources of Information Used in Reconstruction
1865.112
External Sources of Information Used in Reconstruction
1865.113
Organizational Records Search Procedures Used in Reconstruction
Before you attempt any reconstruction, you must first determine if the information/document was a part of the military record that was retired to this Center. The Source Document Guide, 1865.3, will help you make this decision. If the answer is NO, inform the requester that the information would not have been a “matter of record in the military OMPF”, and if another source exists, refer requester to the appropriate office or agency. If the answer is YES, the requested information would have been a matter of record, you should proceed with reconstruction only if alternate records sources exist that would provide the requested data.
NOTE: See the "Records Reconstruction Search Actions" form, which you should copy and use while working a reconstruction case. Your completed form will help you to cover many of the actions you must take during reconstruction. ATTACH the completed form to your completed case; this will be a good reference source for future cases that may require additional research and reconstruction.
Review online registry using all available identifiers that have been furnished:
a) service number
b) social security number
c) alpha probe (unless name is very common & additional info is lacking)
If you have a “B” or “R” entry shown online:
a) Obtain the record and furnish requested information, if available.
b) If the requested information is not in file, consider what reconstruction steps should be conducted. See more specific details shown in the below sections, “SERVICE DATA RECONSTRUCTION”, and “MEDICAL RECORDS RECONSTRUCTION.”
Be sure that a record isn’t here under another identifier!
The individual may have performed service subsequent to the fire dates (which he/she neglected to mention) that would indicate the record was actually located in an area that was not affected by the fire.
If you find evidence that the veteran subsequently served in another branch of service, obtain that record and look for:
a) The enlistment contract - often shows verification of prior military service.
b) Statement of Service or a separation document for prior service
When the online registry does not show any entries for the veteran, a careful analysis of the inquiry is required to identify possible “clues.” (See NPRC 1865.32 & NPRC 1865.104)
a) Signature - is the name SIGNED the same as stated in the request
b) Service number - state of residence at the time of entry is clue to service numbers assigned to that state
c) SSN - will indicate the state of residence at the time of first employment, and is often the same state where entered military service
d) Date of birth - helps to determine possible time period of service
e) Place of birth - Possible clue to residence, which helps identify his service number
a) Obtain ALL auxiliary records listed on the FAR, as this information will be, in many cases, sufficient to verify service and issue NA Form 13038, Certification of Military Service ( See NPRC 1865.104, NPRC 1865.106 & NPRC 1865.107)
b) Conduct a VA Master Index search, which can be used to verify date of entry and date of birth (If VA claim number is shown, it can be used to obtain separation document or service data from the VA; see External sources, shown below)
c) Service Number Index Tapes (1940-1946) will show date of entry
d) Recon Library, if initial inquiry
furnishes relevant data, the following may be useful:
- Army Registers (contain statements
of service for some officers)
- State Rosters (contain statements
of service, but not all states available)
- American Battle Monuments Commission
files (alpha lists of KIA for WWII and Korea, who were
buried overseas, or bodies
not recovered and listed on overseas memorials)
Library of Virginia: fax request for separation document, under the following conditions:
- Veteran was born in the state of Virginia or indicated that he intended to seek employment in Virginia after separation
- Separated between 1942 and 1950 (majority are 1944-1946)
- All branches of service
- Veteran was not killed in action or did not die while in service
If all of the above conditions are met, fax the form 'Library of Virginia Separation Document Request' to the Library of Virginia. The form is available through 'Get Form', under 'Miscellaneous and Unnumbered Forms'. The Library will search its collection for any documents for the veteran in question. If no documents are located, the form will be faxed back with the block titled "Unable to locate any documents for this veteran" checked. If documents are found, they will be faxed back with the request form IF they are legible enough for faxing. If they are poor copies, the documents will be photocopied and mailed to the technician, but the request form will be faxed to the technician advising him that the documents were mailed.
WHEN MORE INFORMATION IS REQUIRED TO CONTINUE A SEARCH
If the above steps have not provided the information required, you should contact the requester by telephone, or send NA Form 13075, Questionnaire About Military Service, to obtain additional data.
NOTE: If the veteran is deceased or the request is from a third party, you must consider proceeding with the search to other external sources, using the available data. One of those sources is the FBI. If you have a name and date of birth (and SSN if available) the FBI can search their files for the individual’s service number and date of entry in the military service.
UPON RECEIPT OF A COMPLETED NA FORM 13075
Consider an additional search of the sources listed above, if the completed NA Form 13075 contains new information.
INTERNAL SOURCES (see NPRC 1865.111 and NPRC1865.113 and“Guide to Reconstruction Sources” graph)
First, you must review all available information, to include the following:
a) All current and prior correspondence/documents received from requester/veteran.
b) All available auxiliary records
c) All available service records
Do these sources contain information required for an ORU search?
a) Approximate date of the allegation (preferably within a 3 month period)
b) Complete unit of assignment at time of the allegation (e.g. company, battalion, regiment)
c) Location of the action you seek to verify (military installation, city, state, country)
If so, send for a search of organizational records for verification/location of an action/date. REMEMBER, all available service data is helpful and should be provided to the ORU technician with your request for a search. (See NPRC 1865.113 and “Guide to Reconstruction Sources” graph)
EXTERNAL SOURCES (See NPRC1865.112)
1) CIVILIAN OPF at CPR: military service data shown on application for federal employment, if employed subsequent to military service
2) FBI: Requires name, date and place of birth, and SSN if available
a) Armed
Forces fingerprint card file contains SN/date of entry
b) Criminal
record remarks - dates of arrests/incarcerations can be useful for purposes
of analysis
3) SELECTIVE SERVICE registration and classification records
a) Shows
changes of classification - individual may not have performed service
b) May
show dates of active duty
c) Classifications
can be a clue to character of service
4) STATE OFFICES
a) National Guard
service records may provide relevant information
b) State Bonus records
- separation document was often required to issue bonus
c) State Archives -
may contain copy of separation document/service verification
If you have followed all of the above steps and still cannot verify the requested data, explain to the requester that no further searches are possible without new information.
Army and Air Force inpatient (clinical) and outpatient records were filed in the military records that were lost in the fire. It is important to remember, however, that the Army and Air Force subsequently discontinued the practice of filing clinicals within the individual’s outpatient record. The ORU is responsible for searching clinicals that were retired as organizational records. Since clinical record libraries were authorized to maintain some records for as long as 10 years, clinical records exist for some Army treatment facilities as early as 1957, and some Air Force clinicals exist for hospitalization as early as 1951. If the clinical record was retired separately, as an organizational record, it was not lost in the fire. If an inquiry is received concerning fire-related records and there is evidence of hospitalization, remember to send a request to ORU for a search of clinicals. See NPRC 1865.113, Figure 2-7.2, on pages 26, 27, and 28, for a list of the specific hospitals and dates that fall into this category.
Prior to the fire, thousands of medical records were loaned to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). A search of BIRLS should always be conducted when a request is received for medical records. If the requester indicates the records are needed for a VA claim, the VA claim number should be provided with a suggestion that the medical records may have been loaned to the VA prior to the fire, and an inquiry should be directed to that agency (see NPRC 1865.103). Do NOT follow this procedure, however, if the BIRLS shows the SSN as a claim number. SSNs were not used as claim numbers until the late 1970s; therefore, the medical records would not have been sent to the VA before the fire in 1973. If the requester indicates the medical records are needed for his/her personal physician, you should contact the VA office shown on the BIRLS; if the service medical records are in file, request copies of those records to be sent to this Center.
No duplicate medical records exist, and if the record was destroyed in the fire, we cannot reconstruct medical records. There are some alternate records sources available which will provide some data, but that information is extremely limited. The information shown below will assist you in gathering data from alternate records sources when the medical record was lost in the fire.
OBTAIN ALL AVAILABLE EVIDENCE
1) Review FAR and obtain all medical data that is shown:
a) QTH (SGO: Army
Surgeon General’s Office Hospital Admission Listings)
b) QTK (Korean Casualty
File)
c) QMC (Army Hospital
Clinical Record Cover Sheets)
2) Review the information you have received. Does this data contain the information the requester is seeking? If it does, provide the information to the requester along with the fire paragraph.
3) If you cannot identify any of the above sources for the veteran:
a) Provide fire paragraph to the requester and send NA Form 13055
b) EXPLAIN what we can reconstruct:
1) Morning reports (M/R) show changes in status such as hospitalization
2) If hospitalized, the M/R’s of the Detachment of Patients (DOP) of the
treatment facility MAY
show a diagnosis. You need to search the dates (beginning and end)
of the hospitalization as the
initial diagnosis and final diagnosis may change.
3) Sick Reports (S/R) will show entries such as: sick, returned to duty;
sick, to quarters; or
hospitalized. S/R’s do NOT show a diagnosis.
4) Excused From Duty (EFD) reports were used by the Air Force only, and
were used sporadically.
These reports are attached to the unit’s daily M/R, if available, and will
show the same data found in
S/R’s. They do NOT show a diagnosis.
c) EXPLAIN what information we need to conduct a search:
1) Date(s) of allegation (month/year or season/year) within a 3 month period
2) COMPLETE unit of assignment (company, regiment, battalion, etc., or
squadron, group, wing, etc.)
3) Location (military installation, base, name/number of treatment facility,
city, state, country, etc.)
4) Was the veteran hospitalized or treated as an outpatient?
**NOTE** IF THE VETERAN IS DECEASED, it may not be useful to send the NA Form 13055. The requester may not be aware of any specific medical treatment. This must be determined on a case-by-case basis. It may be more useful to contact the requester by telephone and briefly explain what is required for reconstruction.
UPON RECEIPT OF A COMPLETED NA FORM 13055
1) Read the information provided and prepare a request for ORU search; if you cannot determine if the information is sufficient, consult an ORU technician.
2) All available service data and auxiliary records may be helpful and should always be provided to the ORU technician when you request a search of morning/sick reports.
3) Remember, the separation document can
be a valuable source of information, such as dates of overseas service
and final unit of assignment, in addition to exact dates of
active duty.
4) If x-rays are requested: only entrance and separation chest x-rays are available at CPR (early 1940s to current); interim x-rays are retained at the facility of creation and are eligible for destruction after a period of 5 years; they are NOT retired as permanent records, and there are no alternate sources available whereby we can reconstruct x-ray data.