Service Records
For a copy of your service records:
Service information on former Marines is held at the National Archives and Records Administration and the National Personnel Records Center. To obtain service records, please write to the proper agency.
For individual service records on Marine Corps officers who served from 1798 to 1895 and enlisted personnel who served from 1798 to 1904:
Military Reference Branch (NNRM)
National Archives and Records Administration
7th & Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20408
Visit their web site: http://www.nara.gov
For individual service records on Marine Corps officers who separated after 1895 and enlisted personnel who separated after 1904:
National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63132-5100
Visit their web site: http://www.nara.gov/regional/mpr.html
PLEASE NOTE: Requests for service information should include the following data on the Marine(s): full name, social security number, service number, date and place of birth, and calendar years of Marine Corps service.
For a copy of your DD-214:
A DD-214 is issued to military members upon separation from active service. DD-214's were issued to separated Servicemembers beginning in the 1950's. The term "DD-214" is often used generically to mean "separation papers" or "discharge papers", no matter what form number was used to document active duty military service.
To request a copy of your DD-214 use Form SF 180 .
Who may request a copy?
Release of information is subject to restrictions imposed by the military services consistent with Department of Defense regulations and the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act of 1974. The service member (either past or present) or the member's legal guardian has access to almost any information contained in that member's own record. Others requesting information from military personnel/health records must have the release authorization in Section III of the SF 180 signed by the member or legal guardian, but if the appropriate signature cannot be obtained, only limited types of information can be provided. If the former member is deceased, surviving next of kin may, under certain circumstances, be entitled to greater access to a deceased veteran's records than a member of the public. The next of kin may be any of the following: unremarried surviving spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, sister, or brother. Employers and others needing proof of military service are expected to accept the information shown on documents issued by the military service departments at the time a service member is separated.
How much does it cost?
There is no charge for most services provided to members or their surviving next of kin. A nominal fee is charged for certain types of service. In most instances service fees cannot be determined in advance. If your request involves a service fee, you will be notified as soon as that determination is made.
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