This page discusses military records for World War I and later. There are also separate resource pages for Civil War and other early military records.

Index

• Urgent Requests for DD214's (discharge papers)
• World War 1
• World War 2
• Korea
• Vietnam
• DD214’s 1979-1984, 1985-1987, and 1988
• DD214's after 1988
• National Guard

The State Archives receives daily requests for discharge papers (DD214’s) from veterans and their family members. This record of service is an invaluable document for former military personnel as it can be used for proof of service when applying for a Veteran’s Administration Home Owners’ Loan or to receive medical benefits. The discharge is often requested by funeral directors and family members in order to receive veterans’ burial benefits, including headstones and a flag for the funeral service.

If you are requesting a DD214 for emergency medical reasons or for the purpose of funeral arrangements for a Hoosier veteran, please contact the State Archives directly at 317-591-5222.

If yours is not an urgent request, please send an email or letter with the veteran’s name, birth date, and possible dates of service, or visit the Archives’ Reading Room. You will need the written permission of the veteran to receive copies of these records, with the exception of those who served during WWI or earlier. Veterans will need to bring or send a copy of a photo identification.

This page contains a list of DD214 collections in the possession of the State Archives. If you or your veteran was not discharged from service during these time periods, alternative resources include the County Recorder’s Office where the veteran lived, and the National Personnel Records Center in Saint Louis. (314-801-0800)

Return to top

Though the Archives does not maintain copies of actual DD214’s for veterans of the first World War, service record cards are available. These cards generally offer dates of service, areas of deployment, and awards and citations.

WW I draft registration cards are also available. Online databases and information coming soon for the Gold Star Honor Roll and the Book of Merit.

Return to top

Discharge Certificates- If a veteran served and was discharged during World War II, he or she was eligible to apply for a bonus from the State of Indiana after the war. Part of the bonus application procedure required a copy of the veteran’s DD214, which was retained by the Indiana Adjutant General’s Office and eventually transferred to the State Archives. If an application for the State Bonus was not made after the war, the State Archives will not have a copy of the discharge.

U.S. Army and Navy Casualties, 1941-1945- An alphabetical card file of Indiana Army and Navy casualties is also available. The information includes rank, name, next of kin, date, and theater of military action. There is a separate index for Marion County residents.

Return to top

Veterans who served in Korea in the early 1950’s were eligible for a State Bonus. Copies of separation papers and the bonus applications are available if the veteran applied.

The Archives also has volumes, arranged by counties, for veterans, which include an address and serial number. One must know the county where the soldier lived.

Additional information is available for those who died in action in Korea.

Return to top

A very limited number of DD214’s are available for those veterans who served in the Vietnam Theater, and who applied for a bonus through the state of Indiana after the war.

Return to top

If you specified that a copy of your DD214 should be sent to your home state of Indiana upon your discharge it is possible that the State Archives will have a copy of your record. Please contact us to request a search.

Return to top

For records of discharge after 1988, please contact the Indiana Department of Veterans’ Affairs at 317-232-3910.

Return to top

The Indiana State Archives houses information about those who served in the National Guard until 1940. After this time period, please contact the Indiana Adjutant General’s Office at 317-247-3300.

Return to top