National Personnel Records Center
The National Personnel Records Center is an agency of the National Archives and Records Administration, created in 1956. It is divided into two large Federal Records Centers located in St. Louis, Missouri.
The records centers which comprise the National Personnel Records Center are the Military Personnel Records Center, located on Archives Drive in Spanish Lake, Missouri, and the Civilian Personnel Records Center located between two facilities: one on Winnebago Street in downtown St. Louis, Missouri and the other on Boulder Boulevard in Valmeyer, Illinois.[1]
Additionally, the National Archives at St. Louis, operates out of the National Personnel Records Center at 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138. The National Archives at St. Louis is the legal custodian of archived military and civilian personnel records and related personnel data series records including the Selective Service System records from 1940 - 1976, Army Courts Martial records and others. (Reference National Archives at St. Louis).
A major fire on July 12, 1973 destroyed approximately one-third of its 52 million official military personnel files.[2]