how do i find out the service record of a former US soldier.

i'm trying to find out the service record of a friends' father. if he served in the Australian military it would be no problem for me, but I have no idea how to go about it for a US serviceman.
a little googling recommends downloading a program from a particular site, but I couldn't find the link to the download there. (plus the site looks to have last been updated 20 years ago and that makes me rather nervous)

my friend was adopted when her father was in his 50's, by the time she was old enough to register what he said, he was basically an alcoholic and told a lot of stories with dubious amounts of truth behind them... so she doesn't know what of what he said was true and what was wasn't.

from his stories he served in korea, as a male nurse or a medic. he was a volunteer not a conscript. edit: she thinks he was army as he said soldier not marine.

there was a picture of him in uniform in their house. (as a dual citizen) her parents used to get cheques from the US government that she was told were for her as a dependant of a returned serviceman, so she thinks he must have served in active duty somewhere.

the guy i'm trying to find out about is:

Herbert Edward Johnson

born 16th july 1932 in chicago.


thanks.
henry.

Henry if you have his service number that would also narrow the field for the chaps.

sorry, no idea.

unfortunately even the picture is gone.

You may get lucky there are some pretty clever fellows here.

There are sites to join that have US service records but without a number, you'll get the phone book. Even with the birthdate...

Google the National Personnel Records Center, NPRC is probably enough. Try this URL:
The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) | National Archives
Once you get to the web page just follow the directions.
I believe that if you just "click" on the underlined phrase, it will take you t the site.

Thanks cosine.

I had no idea of the sheer numbers of US veterans. This might take a little longer than i thought. It will be a little more complicated too...

I wonder if you try looking through the applicable U.S. Korean War Service medal records to try to find Herbert Edward Johnson first which should give you a service number? Presumably he was entitled to a Korean Service Medal? It may be less names to trawl trough than just going straight to the service records.

henry r
My rough figures indicate that in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam there were ~ 34.6 million who served. This is not totally accurate for some served in more than one war. I served in WWII. Korea and would be counted twice. I also served during the Cold War so may have been counted three times.
FWIW

An easy route is to go to Ancestry.com if you are a member.

In the U.K., and it may depend on which part you live?, if you use the public computers in your local library you get free access/use of Ancestry.com.

Dunno... My Dad's (Korea) records were lost in the '73 St. Louis fire even though their website only shows Army & Air Force records being affected. My sister worked hard to find out his history. She eventually got a copy of his record and he got a military presence at his burial ceremony...

Russ

I tried the same thing to get information in UK. My Grandfather served in Ww1 and Ww2 in the Royal Navy, then
Merchant marine. OBE DSC etc Ww1, sunk a submarine etc. Never got any information.Side note, sailed to NYC to pick up stuff for Russia in
Ww2, customs saw his pistols on his desk and seized them!! Never got them back. Canada customs never bothered
him over pistols, Canada was at War.

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Originally Posted by can14

I tried the same thing to get information in UK. My Grandfather served in Ww1 and Ww2 in the Royal Navy, then
Merchant marine. OBE DSC etc Ww1, sunk a submarine etc. Never got any information.

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If a former serviceman served in U.K. armed forces after 1939 you currently need to approach the MOD to access their service records but I don't believe that they have to give anyone access to the records. This may change in time if the records are released to public records. On a number of occasions, I have tried to find the service records of former British servicemen who served in both WW1 and WW2 but have never been successful. I concluded that the WW1 records were most likely held with the WW2 records by the MOD but I have not pursued the matter by contacting the MOD to ask. I, of course, don't know this for sure but it has been true in all the case which I have looked at.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RASelkirk

Dunno... My Dad's (Korea) records were lost in the '73 St. Louis fire even though their website only shows Army & Air Force records being affected. My sister worked hard to find out his history. She eventually got a copy of his record and he got a military presence at his burial ceremony...

Russ

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Same thing with my Grandfather's service records. I have a brief snippet of his service in Europe from Feb to April 1945 with Co. B 254th Infantry Regiment because of the webmaster of the 254th's website had some information on him, but that's it. I know he joined the Army on April 9, 1944, but he never would talk about the war in Europe at all. He would talk about boot camp, how cold the winter of 1944-45 was, but never anything about where he had been, or what he had seen.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Flying10uk

If a former serviceman served in U.K. armed forces after 1939 you currently need to approach the MOD to access their service records but I don't believe that they have to give anyone access to the records. This may change in time if the records are released to public records. On a number of occasions, I have tried to find the service records of former British servicemen who served in both WW1 and WW2 but have never been successful. I concluded that the WW1 records were most likely held with the WW2 records by the MOD but I have not pursued the matter by contacting the MOD to ask. I, of course, don't know this for sure but it has been true in all the case which I have looked at.

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Service records of personnel discharged before 1921 are available to public scrutiny at the National Archives in Kew (microfilms). People who re-enlisted later, as many did, are still held back.
The records office for WW1 ORs (or EMs if you're American) was bombed in 1940 and between a half and two-thirds of all records were entirely destroyed. Many of the remaining documents are damaged by fire and water. Records of officers, and of the Household Division, were stored elsewhere and are not affected.
Some records were removed before this to the Ministry of Pensions' custody, probably in connection with pension claims, and have been found there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mk VII

Service records of personnel discharged before 1921 are available to public scrutiny at the National Archives in Kew (microfilms). People who re-enlisted later, as many did, are still held back.

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Do you know if there is any likelihood, in the foreseeable future, of the U.K. military service records being made publicly available for the WW2 period up to perhaps 1950 or to the end of the Korean War?

I suspect they like NSW Birth Deaths and Marriages registrars, are 'time locked' based upon youngest aged person (average or anticipated) plus ~100 years.

I don't think they have any plans to do so in the foreseeable future.