Army Serial Number Search: WW2 Enlistment Database and NPRC Files

An Army serial number search starts at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, which holds the Official Military Personnel Files for anyone who served in the Army before July 1, 1969, indexed by that serial number. Requests are free for veterans and their next-of-kin, can be submitted online or by mail, and typically take several weeks to a few months. One large caveat shapes every pre-1960 Army search: a 1973 fire at the NPRC destroyed roughly 80% of Army personnel files for people discharged between November 1, 1912, and January 1, 1960, so a “no record found” response is a real possibility.¹

Where to Find the Serial Number

The Army began issuing serial numbers in February 1918 and used them until July 1, 1969, when Social Security Numbers replaced them as the service identifier.² Each number was permanent and never reused, so if you can locate it, you have a direct index into the file you want.

Common places the number appears:

The veteran’s DD Form 214, the discharge document
Dog tags from the service period
Any discharge papers or official service paperwork
VA correspondence, which sometimes references the ASN
Letters home, annotated photographs, and other family papers from the service period
The National Archives’ online WW2 enlistment database, which lists every enlistee’s serial number

If you cannot find the number, you can still request records. The NPRC will search using the veteran’s full name as used during service, date and place of birth, branch, and approximate dates of service. More detail improves the odds of a match.

What the Number Itself Tells You

The serial number carries embedded information about how and where the soldier entered service. The first digit indicates entry type: 1 for volunteer enlistees, 2 for federally recognized National Guard members, and 3 or 4 for draftees. Officers were assigned a letter prefix instead: O for male commissioned officers, W for warrant officers. For enlisted personnel with eight-digit numbers, the second digit corresponds to the geographic Service Command where the soldier enlisted. So even before you request a file, the number alone can tell you whether the soldier volunteered, was drafted, or served in the Guard, and roughly what region of the country they came from.

Searching the WW2 Enlistment Database

For a World War II Army enlistee, the fastest free lookup is the Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, a digitized version of the Army’s original IBM enlistment punch cards. It covers about 9.2 million Army enlisted and reserve personnel and is searchable through the National Archives’ Access to Archival Databases (AAD) system at aad.archives.gov.³

Each record contains enlistment information only: name, serial number, rank at enlistment, branch assignment, enlistment date, state and place of enlistment, civilian occupation, marital status, and education level.³ From the AAD homepage, select “World War II” to reach the Army Enlistment Records collection.⁴ This is not the full service record, but it confirms the serial number and gives you the identifying details you need to request the personnel file.

Requesting the Personnel File From NPRC

The NPRC is part of the National Archives and Records Administration and holds the Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) for pre-1969 Army veterans.⁵ There are three ways to submit a request:

Online through eVetRecs at vetrecs.archives.gov. You verify your identity through ID.me and complete the form electronically. This is the fastest option.⁶
By mail using Standard Form 180 (SF-180), downloaded from the National Archives website and sent to National Personnel Records Center, 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138.⁷
By fax, sending the completed SF-180 to 314-801-9195.⁷

The form asks for the veteran’s name as used during service, date and place of birth, branch, service number or Social Security Number, and dates of service. Specify what you want, whether that is the DD Form 214 alone or the complete OMPF. If the service period falls inside the 1973 fire window, add the place of discharge, last unit of assignment, and place of entry into service, because those details help the NPRC search alternative sources.⁶ Federal law requires that written requests be signed and dated by the veteran or an authorized representative.⁷

Who Can Actually Receive the Records

The Privacy Act limits what the NPRC can release without the subject’s consent.⁸ In practice:

Veterans get full access to their own records at no charge.⁶
Next-of-kin of a deceased veteran get full access with proof of death, such as a death certificate, funeral home letter, or published obituary. The NPRC defines next-of-kin as the unremarried widow or widower, son, daughter, father, mother, brother, or sister.⁹
Anyone else, without written consent, can receive only limited information from non-archival files.⁹

There is a major exception. Once 62 years have passed since separation, the file becomes archival and is opened to broader public access.⁹ As of 2026, that covers everyone who separated before 1964, meaning all of World War II, Korea, and the early Vietnam years. For most researchers looking into a grandparent’s or great-uncle’s WW2 service, the archival rule is what opens the door.

The 1973 Fire and Reconstructing Lost Records

On July 12, 1973, a fire at the NPRC destroyed an estimated 16 to 18 million personnel files. Army records took the worst of it: roughly 80% of files for Army personnel discharged between November 1, 1912, and January 1, 1960, were lost.¹ If your search sits inside that window, expect that the original file may not exist.

When files were destroyed, the NPRC can try to reconstruct portions of the record from auxiliary sources such as unit records, morning reports, and hospital admission records from the surgeon general’s office.¹⁰ For medical record reconstruction specifically, the NPRC uses NA Form 13055, which asks for treatment dates down to the month, the veteran’s unit or organization, and the name and location of the treating facility.¹¹ The more precise the details, the better.

Veterans pursuing VA disability claims after a fire loss can support their claims with statements from fellow service members who witnessed an injury, military accident or police reports, prescription records, service-period photographs, and private medical records from doctors who treated the veteran during or shortly after service.¹⁰

Fees

Veterans, next-of-kin, and authorized representatives pay nothing for non-archival records. Private companies advertising DD Form 214 research services charge for something the National Archives provides free.⁶

Archival records (separation 62 or more years ago) carry reproduction fees for the general public. According to the most recent published fee schedule, an archival OMPF of six or more pages costs $70 per package, and a file of five or fewer pages costs $25. Certification adds $15 per certification.¹² Check the NARA site for the current schedule before ordering.

Emergency and Expedited Requests

The NPRC prioritizes certain time-sensitive requests:

Burial at a VA National Cemetery: call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117, which coordinates directly with the NPRC to verify eligibility.¹³
Burial at a non-VA cemetery: fax a completed SF-180 with the next-of-kin’s signature and proof of death to the NPRC Customer Service Team at 314-801-0764.¹³
Medical emergencies and other urgent needs: submit through eVetRecs and select “Emergency Request” on the Veteran Service Details page, or call the NPRC Customer Service Line at 314-801-0800, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Central Time.¹³
DD Form 214 lost in a natural disaster: write “Natural Disaster” in the Comments section of eVetRecs or the Purpose section of the SF-180.¹³

Tracking Your Request

Routine requests take several weeks to a few months. Do not resubmit within 90 days, because duplicate requests add delay.⁶ After about 10 days you can check status. If you have your SR number, use “Check status of existing request” at vetrecs.archives.gov. Without the number, the National Archives provides separate online follow-up forms for military service records and for clinical or medical treatment records, and you can call 314-801-0800 during business hours.¹⁴

1
National Archives. The 1973 Fire, National Personnel Records Center
2
National Archives. World War II Army Serial Number Merged File
3
National Archives and Records Administration. World War II Army Serial Number Merged File
4
National Archives. Online Military Records in AAD
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National Archives and Records Administration. National Personnel Records Center
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National Archives. Request Military Service Records
7
National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 552a
9
National Archives. Access to Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF) for the General Public
10
Veterans Affairs. Reconstruct Military Records Destroyed In NPRC Fire
11
National Archives. NA Form 13055 – Request for Information Needed to Reconstruct Medical Data
12
National Archives. NARA Reproduction Fees
13
National Archives. Emergency Requests
14
National Archives. Check the Status of a Request for Military Service Records