Standard Form 180 (rev
INSTRUCTION AND INFORMATION SHEET FOR
SF 180, REQUEST PERTAINING TO MILITARY RECORDS
1. Information needed to locate records. Certain identifying information is necessary to determine the location of an individual's
record of military service. Please try to answer each item on the SF 180. If you do not have and cannot obtain the information for an
item, show "NA," meaning the information is "not available." Include as much of the requested information as you can.
2. Restrictions on release of information. 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.
3. Where reply may be sent. The reply may be sent to the member or any other address designated by the member or other
authorized requester.
4. Charges for service. 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.
5. Health and personnel records. Health records of persons on active duty are generally kept at the local servicing clinic, and
usually are available from the Department of Veterans Affairs a week or two after the last day of active duty. (See page 2 of SF180
for record locations/addresses.)
6. Records at the National Personnel Records Center. Note that it takes at least three months, and often up to seven, for the file
to reach the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis after the military obligation has ended (such as by discharge). If only a
short time has passed, please send the inquiry to the address shown for active or current reserve members. Also, if the person has
only been released from active duty but is still in a reserve status, the personnel record will stay at the location specified for
reservists. A person can retain a reserve obligation for several years, even without attending meetings or receiving annual training.
(See page 2 of SF180 for record locations/addresses.)
7. Definitions and abbreviations. DISCHARGED -- the individual has no current military status; HEALTH -- Records of physical
examinations, dental treatment, and outpatient medical treatment received while in a duty status (does not include records of
treatment while hospitalized); TDRL – Temporary Disability Retired List.
8. Service completed before World War I. National Archives Trust Fund (NATF) forms must be used to request these records.
Obtain the forms by e-mail from inquire@nara.gov or write to the Code 6 address on page 2 of the SF 180.
PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 COMPLIANCE INFORMATION
The following information is provided in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(3) and applies to this form. Authority for collection of
the information is 44 U.S.C. 2907, 3101, and 3103, and E.O. 9397 of November 22, 1943. Disclosure of the information is
voluntary. If the requested information is not provided, it may delay servicing your inquiry because the facility servicing the service
member's record may not have all of the information needed to locate it. The purpose of the information on this form is to assist the
facility servicing the records (see the address list) in locating the correct military service record(s) or information to answer your
inquiry. This form is then filed in the requested military service record as a record of disclosure. The form may also be disclosed to
Department of Defense components, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Transportation (Coast Guard), or the
National Archives and Records Administration when the original custodian of the military health and personnel records transfers all
or part of those records to that agency. If the service member was a member of the National Guard, the form may also be disclosed
to the Adjutant General of the appropriate state, District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico, where he or she served.
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT
Public burden reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be five minutes per response, including time for reviewing
instructions and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other
aspect of the collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to National Archives and Records
Administration (NHP), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. DO NOT SEND COMPLETED FORMS TO THIS
ADDRESS. SEND COMPLETED FORMS AS INDICATED IN THE ADDRESS LIST ON PAGE 2 OF THE SF 180.
Standard Form 180 (Rev. 02-02) (Page 1) Authorized for local reproduction
Prescribed by NARA (36 CFR 1228.168(b)) Previous edition unusable OMB No. 3095-0029 Expires 9/30/2005
To ensure the best possible service, please thoroughly review the
REQUEST PERTAINING TO MILITARY RECORDS
accompanying instructions before filling out this form. Please print
clearly or type. If you need more space, use plain paper.
SECTION I - INFORMATION NEEDED TO LOCATE RECORDS (Furnish as much as possible.)
1. NAME USED DURING SERVICE (last, first, and middle) 2. SOCIAL SECURITY NO. 3. DATE OF BIRTH 4. PLACE OF BIRTH
5. SERVICE , PAST AND PRESENT (For an effective records search, it is important that all service be shown below.)
SERVICE NUMBER
DATES OF SERVICE
CHECK ONE
DURING THIS PERIOD
BRANCH OF SERVICE
DATE ENTERED
DATE RELEASED
OFFICER
ENLISTED
(If unknown, write “unknown”)
a. ACTIVE
SERVICE
b. RESERVE
SERVICE
c. NATIONAL
GUARD
6. IS THIS PERSON DECEASED? If “YES” enter the date of death. 7. IS (WAS) THIS PERSON RETIRED FROM MILITARY SERVICE?
NO YES NO YES
SECTION II – INFORMATION AND/OR DOCUMENTS REQUESTED
1. REPORT OF SEPARATION (DD Form 214 or equivalent). This contains information normally needed to verify military service. A copy may be
sent to the veteran, the deceased veteran's next of kin, or other persons or organizations if authorized in Section III, below. NOTE: If more than one
period of service was performed, even in the same branch, there may be more than one Report of Separation. Be sure to show EACH year that a Report of
Separation was issued, for which you need a copy.
An UNDELETED Report of Separation is requested for the year(s)
This normally will be a copy of the full separation document including such sensitive items as the character of separation, authority for separation, reason
for separation, reenlistment eligibility code, separation (SPD/SPN) code, and dates of time lost. An undeleted version is ordinarily required to determine
eligibility for benefits.
A DELETED Report of Separation is requested for the year(s)
The following information will be deleted from the copy sent: authority for separation, reason for separation, reenlistment eligibility code,
separation(SPD/SPN) code, and for separations after June 30, 1979, character of separation and dates of time lost.
2. OTHER INFORMATION AND/OR DOCUMENTS REQUESTED
3. PURPOSE (Optional – An explanation of the purpose of the request is strictly voluntary. Such information may help the agency answering this
request to provide the best possible response and will in no way be used to make a decision to deny the request.)
SECTION III - RETURN ADDRESS AND SIGNATURE
1. REQUESTER IS:
Military service member or veteran identified in Section I, above Legal guardian (must submit copy of court appointment)
Next of kin of deceased veteran Other (specify)
(relation)
2. SEND INFORMATION/DOCUMENTS TO:
3. AUTHORIZATION SIGNATURE REQUIRED (See item 2 on
(Please print or type. See item 3 on accompanying instructions.)
accompanying instructions.) I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty
of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the information
in this Section III is true and correct.
Name
Signature of requester (Please do not print.)
( )
Street Apt.
Date of this request Daytime phone
City State Zip Code
Email address
RESET
** This form is available at http://www.archives.gov/research_room/obtain_copies/standard_form_180.pdf on the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) web site.**
Standard Form 180 (Rev. 02-02) (Page 2) Authorized for local reproduction
Prescribed by NARA (36 CFR 1228.168(b))
Previous edition unusable OMB No. 3095-0029 Expires 9/30/2005
LOCATION OF MILITARY RECORDS
The various categories of military service records are described in the chart below. For each category there is a code number which indicates the address
at the bottom of the page to which this request should be sent. Please refer to the Instruction and Information Sheet accompanying this form as needed.
ADDRESS CODE
Personnel
Health
BRANCH CURRENT STATUS OF SERVICE MEMBER
Record
Record
Discharged, deceased, or retired before 5/1/1994
14
14
Discharged, deceased, or retired on or after 5/1/1994
14
11
AIR
Active (including National Guard on active duty in the Air Force), TDRL, or general officers retired with pay
1
FORCE
Reserve, retired reserve in nonpay status, current National Guard officers not on active duty in the Air Force, or
2
National Guard released from active duty in the Air Force
Current National Guard enlisted not on active duty in the Air Force
13
Discharge , deceased, or retired before 1/1/1898
6
COAST
Discharged, deceased, or retired 1/1/1898 – 3/31/1998
14
14
GUARD
Discharged, deceased, or retired on or after 4/1/1998
14
11
Active, reserve, or TDRL
3
Discharged, deceased, or retired before 1/1/1905
6
Discharged, deceased, or retired 1/1/1905 – 4/30/1994
14
14
MARINE
Discharged, deceased, or retired on or after 5/1/1994
14
11
CORPS
Individual Ready Reserve or Fleet Marine Corps Reserve
5
Active, Selected Marine Corps Reserve, TDRL
4
Discharged, deceased, or retired before 11/1/1912 (enlisted) or before 7/1/1917 (officer)
6
Discharged, deceased, or retired 11/1/1912 – 10/15/1992 (enlisted) or 7/1/1917 – 10/15/1992 (officer)
14
14
Discharged, deceased, or retired on or after 10/16/1992
14
11
Reserve; or active duty records of current National Guard members who performed service in the U.S. Army
7
before 7/1/1972
ARMY
Active enlisted (including National Guard on active duty in the U.S. Army) or TDRL enlisted
9
Active officers (including National Guard on active duty in the U.S. Army) or TDRL officers 8
Current National Guard enlisted not on active duty in Army (including records of Army active duty performed
13
after 6/30/1972)
Current National Guard officers not on active duty in Army (including records of Army active duty performed
12
after 6/30/1972)
Discharged, deceased, or retired before 1/1/1886 (enlisted) or before 1/1/1903 (officer)
6
Discharged, deceased, or retired 1/1/1886 – 1/30/1994 (enlisted) or 1/1/1903 – 1/30/1994 (officer)
14
14
NAVY
Discharged, deceased, or retired 1/31/1994 – 12/31/1994
14
11
Discharged, deceased, or retired on or after 1/1/1995
10
Active, reserve, or TDRL
10
PUBLIC
HEALTH
Commissioned Corps – active, inactive, terminated, retired
15
SERVICE
ADDRESS LIST OF CUSTODIANS (BY CODE NUMBERS SHOWN ABOVE) – Where to write/send this form
National Archives & Records Administration
Air Force Personnel Center
Department of Veterans Affairs
Old Military and Civil Records (NWCTB-Military)
1 HQ AFPC/DPSRP
6
Records Management Center
Textual Services Division
11
550 C Street West, Suite 19
P.O. Box 5020
700 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4721
St. Louis, MO 63115-5020
Washington, DC 20408-0001
Commander
Air Reserve Personnel Center /DSMR
Army National Guard Readiness Center
U.S. Army Reserve Personnel Command
2 HQ ARPC/DPSSA/B
7
NGB-ARP
ATTN: ARPC-ZCC-B
12
6760 E. Irvington Place, Suite 4600
111 S. George Mason Dr.
1 Reserve Way
Denver, CO 80280-4600
Arlington, VA 22204-1382
St. Louis, MO 63132-5200
Commander CGPC-Adm-3
U.S. Total Army Personnel Command
The Adjutant General
3 U.S. Coast Guard
8
ATTN: TAPC-MSR-S
13 (of the appropriate state, DC, or Puerto
2100 2nd Street, S.W.
200 Stoval Street
Rico)
Washington, DC 20593-0001
Alexandria, VA 22332-0444
Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps
Commander USAEREC
National Personnel Records Center
Personnel Management Support Branch
4
ATTN: PCRE-F
(Military Personnel Records)
(MMSB-10)
9
14
8899 E. 56th St.
9700 Page Ave.
2008 Elliot Road
Indianapolis, IN 46249-5301
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
Quantico, VA 22134-5030
Marine Corps Reserve Support Command
Division of Commissioned Personnel
Navy Personnel Command (PERS-313C1)
5 (Code MMI)
10
ATTN: Records Officer
5720 Integrity Drive
15
15303 Andrews Road
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 4-36
Millington, TN 38055-3130
Kansas City, MO 64147-1207
Rockville, MD 20857-0001
Document Outline
