Marine Archival Information
Finding information on any WWII Marine is possible through the National Archives. Many different kinds of military records exist that can be easily ordered either on paper or microfilm. The following information should help begin the search for what actually happened to your Marine.
Official records on any Marine may be obtained free of charge through the National Personel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Two different methods exist for obtaining this information.
To request a copy of a Military Personnel Record of a non-relative the form SF180 must be filled out and sent in. According to the National Archives website, "Information from the records is made available upon written request (with signature and date) to the extent allowed by law." In other words the N.P.R.C. may or may not fullfill a request for non-family member records and it could take a number of months to recieve any information.
If you are a veteran seeking yor own records or next-of-kin of a deceased veteran, you may use vetrecs.archives.gov to order a copy of your own or your family member's military records. You will be asked a series of questions that will help identify the individual's records and then a form can be printed that only needs your signature to be finished. It can either be faxed or mailed to the N.P.R.C. The process will take a few weeks.
Muster Rolls for any date and unit during WWII are available from the National Archives, Modern Military Records Unit, Textual Archives Services Division. A muster roll is generated by each company every month and contains information on numbers of Marines what happened to individual Marines during each . A phone request to this office for a specific unit and a nominal fee is usually all that is required. An archivist might need a clarification or more information so be sure to give them a daytime contact number. The pages of the muster roll are supplied on microfilm and take roughly 6 to 8 weeks for production and delivery. The charge is seventy cents for each page copied onto 16mm microfilm. The address is:
Modern Military Records Unit, NWCTM
The National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Phone (301) 837-3510
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copyright 2001 T.O.T.W.
Created 10 April 2001 - Updated 8 November 2003
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