A Document Prepared by the The American War Library
The recent storms and total loss of important papers by many victims alerts
us to the importance of preserving very important military documents such as
DD-214s (Reports of Separation) and medal award orders. The following
recommendations are provided to ensure that any natural, marital, familial or
accidental disruption does not result in the total loss of your military
documents.
- You should photocopy your Report of Separation, certificates,
promotion/medal orders and medical documents and distribute copies to all
members of your family who are living in different locations for perpetual
safekeeping.
- If you are a member of a veterans organization you should ensure that
your Post or Chapter Commander is properly placing copies of Reports of
Separation that are collected upon membership in a safe location.
- If your military record file (201 Jacket) was fully or partially
destroyed in the 1973 fire at the National Records Center in St Louis MO you
should use form SF-180 (link below) to provide The Center with copies of any
military-issued documents in your possession to create a new, official file
on you.
- Along with mailing a package of your military document copies to
members of your family, here are some other locations where you might
consider storing copies of your military documents:
- your city or county Hall of Records (where birth and death
certificates are stored)
- your local veteran's or civic organization(s)
- ask your local (House of) Representative is he or she will accept
your documents for storage in their common holding area
Questions/Recommendations/Feedback on this matter should be sent to:
Roger Simpson (americanwarlibrary@pacbell.net)
Chief, Public Information Officer
The American War Library (amervets.com)
16907 Brighton Avenue, Rear Building
Gardena CA 90247-5420
1-310-532-0634
Or simply,
13105320634.com
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