NARA releases military records.The military records of more than 1 million Americans, including famous entertainers, politicians, athletes, and military personnel, are now available to the public for the first time.The National Personnel Records Center in Overland, Missouri Overland is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 16,838 at the 2000 census. Overland is the location of the National Personnel Records Center, which houses discharged and retired service records of all branches of the United States armed , recently unsealed the first batch of what is expected to be "a mother lode Mother Lode, belt of gold-bearing quartz veins, central Calif., along the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The term is sometimes limited to a strip c.70 mi (110 km) long and from 1 to 6 1-2 mi (1.6–10.5 km) wide, running NW from Mariposa. " collection of interest to military historians, biographers This literature-related list is incomplete; you can help by [ expanding it]. Biographers are authors who write an account of another person's life, while autobiographers are authors who write their own biography. , and genealogists. The center houses the military records of about 56 million individuals, beginning in the 19th century and extending into the 20th. The following holdings were released in June: * Navy enlisted personnel files for individuals who were separated from the Navy from 1885 through September 8, 1939 * Marine Corps enlisted personnel files for individuals who were separated from the Marine Corps from 1906 through September 8, 1939 * A select collection, about 150 at this time, of records of prominent individuals who have been deceased 10 years or more Until recently, the National Archives National Archives, official depository for records of the U.S. federal government, established in 1934 by an act of Congress. Although displeasure concerning the method of keeping national records was voiced in Congress as early as 1810, the United States continued and Records Administration (NARA Nara (nä`rä), city (1990 pop. 349,349), capital of Nara prefecture, S Honshu, Japan. An ancient cultural and religious center, it was founded in 706 by imperial decree and was modeled after Chang'an (see Xi'an), the capital of T'ang China. ) was the physical custodian bailee (custodian) n. a person with whom some article is left, usually pursuant to a contract (called a "contract of bailment"), who is responsible for the safe return of the article to the owner when the contract is fulfilled. of these records, which were open only to the veteran, the next of kin The blood relatives entitled by law to inherit the property of a person who dies without leaving a valid will, although the term is sometimes interpreted to include a relationship existing by reason of marriage. Cross-references Descent and Distribution. , or the individual's service branch. In 1999 the Pentagon and NARA reached an agreement that would begin the process of systematically opening these records. The agreement made "Official Military Personnel Files" a permanent series of records, transferred to NARA custody 62 years after the service member's separation from the military. That means that most World War II records, for example, will remain closed for several more years. In addition, because of a 1973 fire at the records center, some Army and Air Force veterans' files will be withheld until 2023. Coast Guard records will probably not be available until 2026 and, because some individual files contain fragile or crumbling paper, such files will probably be kept on hold for longer. Overland has been the storehouse for military records since 1946. The records line shelves 12 feet high on five floors, each floor about the size of three football fields. The archives also is making available records of about 150 "persons of exceptional prominence" including Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley, Clark Gable, Henry Fonda, Jackie Robinson Noun 1. Jackie Robinson - United States baseball player; first Black to play in the major leagues (1919-1972) Jack Roosevelt Robinson, Robinson , and Joe Louis. Much of the military histories of some of the most prominent figures, such as Gen. Douglas MacArthur, John E Kennedy, Gen. George S. Patton “George Patton” redirects here. For the 19th century Scottish jurist and politician, see George Patton, Lord Glenalmond. George Smith Patton Jr. GCB, KBE (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a leading U.S. , and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, have been made public, but files of other famous people have been rarely viewed. Many of the Fries contain original, signed correspondence, such as Kennedy's application for a naval commission during World War II. Accounts of his PT-109 sinking are also in his file. The archives decided to make the records of famous people available because of a compelling public interest, said Bryan McGraw, the center's assistant director of archival programs. But the majority of the records of non-famous Americans will be available only to the veterans or their next of kin, he said. Anyone interested in accessing the collection should contact the National Personnel Records Center at 314.801.0850 or 9700 Page Ave., Overland, MO 63132. |
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