The Great Fire of 1973

It is in my experience that many Vietnam Veterans were told that their Service Records were destroyed in a fire.  Often time, with great persistence, records were found and copies were provided. It is important to note that the branch and years of records that were destroyed in the table below.  If you or your loved one served outside of this time period, don’t let anyone tell you your records were destroyed in a fire!!  Keep pressing for your records!

Branch Personnel and Period Affected Estimated Loss
Army Personnel discharged November 1, 1912 to January 1, 1960 80%
Air Force Personnel discharged September 25, 1947 to January 1, 1964
(with names alphabetically after Hubbard, James E.)
75%

Complete info can be found here: https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/fire-1973