Archival Materials

• NARA St. Louis
  • Service Records
    • Official Military Personnel File (OMPF)
    • Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF)
  • Morning Reports (army only)
  • Flight Records

Types of Service Records

OMPF

Every veteran who fought in WWII has an Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). Soldiers who died during their military service also have Individual Deceased Personnel Files (IDPF), which document their deaths and any actions associated with the disposition of their remains. These files are housed at NARA St. Louis, Missouri. 

The OMPF contains details about the veteran’s service history, which may include:

• enlistment documentation
• training
• duty stations and assignments, including campaigns fought
• payroll records
• discharge information, including list of decorations earned

In 1973, a fire destroyed 80% of these files, and many relatives were told that their veteran’s records no longer exist.

Don’t be discouraged! Archivists have been reconstructing the damaged and destroyed files, and we have found that in most cases, some records exist. You simply can’t know until we submit your OMPF form. You never know: You may be one of the lucky ones who get a B-File (burned file) that has gone through the preservation department at the Archives!

Price: A $50 retainer fee is required to request an OMPF. Depending on the file size or branch of unit, a follow up invoice may be sent to you.

• Fewer than 40 pages: Retainer fee = $50
• 40 to 100 pages: Retainer fee + $25 = $75
• More than 100 pages, Navy files, or B-files (burned files): Retainer Fee + $50 = $100

Be Aware: There is still a high chance your requested personnel file contains fewer than 10 pages. For information about what happened after the fire of 1973, visit: https://www.archives.gov/st-louis/archival-programs/preservation-program/burned-records.html

IDPF

The Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) documents the actions taken by the military after a soldier dies in service. IDPFs were NOT harmed by the fire of 1973, but for the moment, only IDPFs of veterans with last names A through L are available in the Archives. Information in the requested IDPF may include:

• location and circumstance of death
• medical examiner’s report
• the soldier’s possessions at the time of death
• burial or repatriation information
• correspondence between the family and the government

Price: A $75 retainer fee is required to request an IDPF. In the event that the soldier was killed in action or died while in service, Footsteps Researchers will automatically order an OMPF.

• Fewer than 40 pages: Retainer fee = $75
• 40 to 100 pages: Retainer fee + $25 = $100
• More than 100 pages: Retainer Fee + $50 = $150

Types of Reports

Morning Reports

An Army Morning Report provided higher-ranking authorities with an essential overview of all personnel activity within the company on a given day. It may contain the following details:

• The company’s exact location
• Names of personnel transferred to another company
• Names of personnel wounded or killed in action (in the case of a transfer to a hospital, the report gives the particular hospital unit)
• The strength of the company (the number of active soldiers that day)
• An overview of the rations in the company’s inventory
• A brief record of events about the company’s activities that day (e.g., moving or fighting)

Price: A $100 retainer fee is required to start your research. Searching for Morning Reports is a labor-intensive process. The fee covers two hours of research to get the microfilm. You will be billed $50 for every additional hour if your request takes more than two hours. After your payment of the retainer fee, we will contact you for all the necessary information we need to get started.