A service record is a collection of either electronic or printed material which provides a

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

of a person's activities and accomplishments while serving as a member of a given

organization An organization or organisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences) is an legal entity, entity—such as ...

. Service records are most often associated with the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

, but are commonly found in other groups, such as large

corporations A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...

or for use by

employee Employment is a relationship between two party (law), parties Regulation, regulating the provision of paid Labour (human activity), labour services. Usually based on a employment contract, contract, one party, the employer, which might be a cor ...

s of a civilian

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

Australian armed forces

Service records for the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

, are available at the National Archives of Australia website. The service records of the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force are also available. World War I service records provide the dates when the person was "in the field", that is with his unit on active service, if and when they embarked for oversea service, and the names of the units in which the person served. The service record also documents other changes—promotions, transfers, time at base, the date and place of sickness or wounding, and the names of hospital or clearing station where the person was treated.

Canada

Canadian military service records are held by either the

Department of National Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

depending on the age of the file. The Library and Archives Canada is responsible for with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility for military service files. Library and Archives Canada holds publicly open military service records are available for personnel serving before 1914, personnel in the First World War, personnel who died in service in the Second World War, and records relating to medals, honours and awards. Library and Archives Canada holds restricted records for regular service members between 1919–1997, reserve members between 1919–2007, and Newfoundland Militia serving in the Second World War.

Pakistan

Pakistan Military maintains the service records in the official ''"Digest of Service"''.Maj Gen Mohammad Cheema, Col Mushtaq Madni and Major Aamir Mushtaq Cheema, 2008
History of Pakistan Army Aviation: 1947-2017
Historical Section of Army Aviation Directorate, GHQ,

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

, Pakistan, pp 262.

Nazi Germany

The records of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

are extensive and the record keeping ability of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

was generally considered to be extremely meticulous. Service records of Nazi organizations are maintained at the

Berlin Document Center The Berlin Document Center (BDC) was created in Berlin, Germany, after the end of World War II. Its task was to centralize the collection of documents from the time of Nazism, which were needed for the preparation of the Nuremberg Trials against wa ...

, in

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the highest population within its city limits of any city in the European Union. The city is also one of the states of ...

, with several

microfiche A microform is a scaled-down reproduction of a document, typically either photographic film or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the original d ...

copies of these records available at the

National Archives and Records Administration The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located approximately from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. Its population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the home of the University of Mary ...

. Records of the ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

'', that is the regular armed forces of Germany during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, are maintained at the '' Bundesarchiv'', also in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

United States

Service records of the

United States armed forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

are considered vital documents both for historical reasons and also to help secure

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

benefits for discharged or retired service members. In addition, service records of the U.S. military provide a chronology of a service member's career and thus ensure accurate tracking of accomplishments, activities, and promotions. Military service records of active duty personnel are maintained by the various branches of the U.S. armed forces. Service records of retired and discharged personnel are maintained at the

Military Personnel Records Center The Military Personnel Records Center (NPRC-MPR) is a branch of the National Personnel Records Center and is the repository of over 56 million military service record, personnel records and medical records pertaining to retired, discharged, and de ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

; after 2005, most U.S. military service records are retained by the military branch since most such records are electronically stored. Typical makeup of a United States military paper service record *

DD Form 214 The DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, generally referred to as a "DD 214", is a document of the United States Department of Defense, issued upon a military service member's retirement, separation, or discharge from ...

* Master personnel folder ( 201 File, Service Record Book, AF Form 7, etc.) * Officer Qualification Record (OQR) (if commissioned) * Evaluations and fitness reports * Awards and citations * Disciplinary data and

court martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...

records * Dependent and emergency contact records * Clothing allowance and leave records * Letters and various correspondence *

Security clearance A security clearance is a status granted to individuals allowing them access to classified information (state or organizational secrets) or to restricted areas, after completion of a thorough background check. The term "security clearance" is ...

information * Reserve points and reserve service history (if applicable) * Discharge Data

References

Marine Corps Individual Records Administration Manual (IRAM)

Forces War Records
(UK) {{DEFAULTSORT:Service Record Documents Human resource management Public records