Claiming U.S. Military Medals from the U.S. Government
Copyright © 1994 by
MOA Press
All rights reserved.
Veterans of any U.S. military service may request replacement
of medals which have been lost, stolen, destroyed or rendered
unfit through no fault of the recipient. Requests may also be
filed for awards that were earned but, for any reason, were never
issued to the service member. The next-of-kin of deceased veterans
may also make the same request.
AIR FORCE - The Air Force processes requests for medals
through the National Personnel Records Center, which determines
eligibility through the information in the veteran's records.
Once verified, a notification of entitlement is forwarded to Randolph
Air Force Base, Texas, from which the medals are mailed to the
requester. To request medals earned while in the Air Force or
its predecessor, the Army Air Corps, veterans or their next-of-kin
should write to:
National Personnel Records Center
(Military Personnel Records)
9700 Page Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
ARMY - The National Personnel Records Center does not determine
eligibility for awards issued by the other services. If the person
served in the Army, the request should be sent to:
U.S. Army Reserve Personnel Center
Attn. DARP-VSE-A
9700 Page Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
ALL NAVAL SERVICES - Requests pertaining to persons
who served in the Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard should be
sent to:
Navy Liaison Office (Navy Medals)
Room 3475
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
It is recommended that requesters use
Standard Form 180,
Request Pertaining to Military Records when applying. Forms are
available from offices of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
or photocopy the example on page 75.
If the Standard Form 180 is not used,
a letter may be sent, but it must include: the veteran's full
name used while in service, the branch of service, approximate
dates of service and service number. The letter should indicate
if the request is for a specific medal(s) or for all medals earned.
The letter must be signed by the veteran or his next-of-kin, indicating
the relationship to the deceased.
It is also helpful to include copies of any military service documents
that indicate eligibility for medals, such as military orders
or the report of separation (OD Form 214 or its earlier equivalent).
This is especially important if the request pertains to one of
the millions of veteran's whose original records were lost in
a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in 1973. The destroyed
records involved all veterans who were discharged from the Army
or Army Air Corps before 1960, or from the Air Force before 1964
and whose last names fall alphabetically between Hubbard (James
E.) and Z. Although the requested medals can often be issued on
the basis of alternate records, the documents sent in with the
request are sometimes the only means of determining proper eligibility.
Finally, requesters should exercise extreme patience. It may take
several months or, in some cases, a year to determine eligibility
and dispatch the appropriate medals.
The material presented here in electronic form is from Medals
of America Presents United States Military Medals 1939-1994
by Lawrence H Borts and Cold. (Ret.) Frank C. Foster (1st
Edition) ISBN 1-884452-09-4.
Published by:
MOA Press (Medals of America Press) 1929 Fairview
Road, Fountain Inn, SC 29644-9137 - (864) 862-6425
481st Rule of Acquisition:
It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
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Last update: 1998-10-25
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