National Archives Military Records
Guides to U.S. military records by branch, war, and topic.
This National Archives hub helps researchers find U.S. federal military records across different eras, services, and subject areas. It points users to the correct record groups and facilities, including older service records in Washington, later personnel records at the NPRC in St. Louis, and many unit records in College Park.
Why it stands out
- Official National Archives guidance rather than a third-party index or commercial genealogy database.
- Clearly separates records by era and custody, which is essential for military research requests.
- Combines genealogy-oriented personnel research with broader military-history topics like unit records and intelligence files.
- Covers both pre-20th-century archival holdings and modern personnel-record referral points.
Good to know
- The page is a research gateway, not a full searchable database of military records.
- Holdings are split across different National Archives facilities and the NPRC depending on date and record type.
- Its scope is U.S. federal military records, so state militia, local, or non-U.S. records may require other sources.
- Many records may require follow-up through catalogs, facility visits, reproduction requests, or formal records requests.
Under the radar: Before starting, decide whether you need an individual personnel file or a unit/organizational record; for post-WWI research those often lead to different National Archives locations.
Photos
Genealogists, veterans, and military historians can identify where to look for a specific U.S. service or unit record. Trace a relative’s military service by conflict, from the Revolutionary War through Vietnam. Find branch-specific research guidance for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard. Locate topic guides for personnel records, historical military files, intelligence records, and unit records.
Research paths by military branch, war or conflict, and topic; guidance on National Archives holding locations; links to service-record, historical-record, intelligence, unit-record, and FAQ resources; coverage of major U.S. conflicts from the Revolutionary War onward.
Alternative listings
A genealogy archive focused on military service records and war history.
Genealogy & family-history researchFold3 is a searchable genealogy archive centered on military records, with more than 640 million records across major conflicts and selected non-military collections. Users can search by name, browse publication sets, and explore records by country, state, war, or topic.
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