SwiftVets.com

[spectrout]

I am surprised at the depth of information obtained by the Washington Post under the FOIA. I recently requested my own records from the National Personnel Records Center at http://www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis/military_personnel_records.html. Full access to military records is available only to the veteran himself or the next of kin of a deceased veteran. To obtain these records the veteran must return to the Records Center by snail mail a signature verification under penaty of perjury.

Limited records are available to the general public under FOIA. Below is a copy from their website describing what is available under FOIA.

Does anyone have more info. on this subject?

Records available to the general public:
http://www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis/military_personnel_records/general_public.html

National Personnel Records Center
(St. Louis, MO)
Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act (FOIA)
The public has access to certain military service information without the veteran's authorization (or that of the next-of-kin of deceased veterans). Examples of information which may be available from Official Military Personnel Files without an unwarranted invasion of privacy include:
· Name
· Service Number
· Rank
· Dates of Service
· Awards and decorations
· Place of entrance and separation

Provisions of the Privacy Act
The basic provisions of the Privacy Act, as it applies to military and civilian records at NPRC (MPR), are to provide safeguards for an individual against an invasion of personal privacy by:
· permitting the subject to determine what records pertaining to him/her are maintained;
· permitting the subject to prevent records that pertain to him/her from being used or made available for purposes other than the purpose for which they were created; and
· permitting the subject to gain access to the records, or to have photocopies made of all or any portion thereof, and to correct or amend such records.
The Privacy Act places great emphasis on the privacy of the individual named in the record, and carries provisions for civil action against Federal agencies for violations of an individual's rights under the Act.

Spectrout