Military Service Records By Serial Number
Fielded Search. File unit: Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 - 1946 (Enlistment Records) in the Series: World War II Army Enlistment Records, created 6/1/2002 - 9/30/2002, documenting the period ca. 1938 - 1946 - Record Group 64 This series. Notes: The information in this database was provided by the National Archives and Records Administration and was compiled from the World War II Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File. Nearly nine million men and women are included in the database, which is comprised of materials from the War Department Adjutant General’s Office.
Americans have been in numerous wars over the decades but it was not until February 12, 1918, that there was the introduction of US Army serial numbers (SNs). Before that date the main method of identification of soldiers was by the ‘roster rolls’ or ‘muster rolls’, the listing of soldiers during a specific time period.
The first service numbers to be issued in February 1918 were only to Army enlisted personnel. Other military branches (Navy, Marines) were still small enough not needing serial numbers. The first Army personnel issued the first number was Master Sergeant Arthur Crean. Imagine that was your ancestor and you have just learned that bit of information. After WW I in 1920, the Army introduced the first “service number prefix” which was intended to be a letter placed in front of the service number to provide additional information about the veteran. Also in 1920 was when Army officers received serial numbers, with the letter “O”, the first being issued to General John J. Pershing.
By 1942 those prefix letters were discontinued, just numbers used. New sets of numbers were used, mostly for those drafted during WW II. Other changes would come about over the next few years but by July 1, 1969, service numbers were declared discontinued. Instead, military personnel were identified by their social security number.
See below the first couple of numbers / letters and what they referred to identification of a soldier. These numbers were also placed on the ‘dog tags’ – metal tags worn by all soldiers. Another good source for additional information is this link on Army serial numbers.
Look at the First Number or Letter
Some prefixes were used in World War I. However, the following system began shortly before World War II.
The first character gives us a lot of information.
- 1 = Enlisted in the Army (in other words, volunteered rather than drafted)
- 2 = Federally recognized National Guard
- 3 = Drafted
- 4 = Drafted
- O (that’s the letter O, not a zero) = Male commissioned officers
- W = Male Warrant officers
- T = Flight officers (Army Air Force)
- L = Commissioned officers of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC)
- V = WAC Warrant officers
- A = WAC enlisted women
- R = Hospital dietitians
- M = Physical therapy aides
When you have an 8-digit serial number, the second number shows the Service Command. This narrows down where the person enlisted or was drafted. If you have a serial number for a member of the WAC, look at the number after the letter prefix.
*1 = Connecticut Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
- 2 = Delaware, New Jersey, New York
- 3 = Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia
- 4 = Alabama, Florida, Georgia Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee
- 5 = Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia
- 6 = Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin
- 7 = Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
- 8 = Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
- 9 = Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington
- 0 = When the first number is 3, the zero means he was drafted outside the U.S. (301 indicates Panama; 302 indicates Puerto Rico)
See if you can locate your ancestors’ serial number or their ‘dog tags’.
Photos: Collection of a soldier’s ID and a ‘dog tag’.
Related FamilyTree.com Blogs:
< Return To Blog We are creating collage to honor our grandfather who served in WWI. We located a site that can reproduce a original WWI era Dog Tag. Although, we have 99% of the information that would have been on the tag its the service number that a problem as we have no idea what it was. Was told that there is a way to get that information using a government site but have no idea what it is. Does anyone know it or whether it can be done? The Gunny
Rich Carter 5/12/16
Such a great idea and exciting adventure for all of you. I would recommend you visit the link below to the National Archives at St. Louis. I hope this help if you need more information you could always visit, https://www.cyndislist.com/, Cydi's List. https://www.archives.gov/st-louis
FamilyTree.com 5/12/16
- For other versions of United States military service numbers, see 'Service number (United States armed forces)'
United States Marine Corps service numbers were created in 1920, the same year as Navy service numbers, and were modeled after the same design.
Marine Corps officer numbersEdit
The first one hundred Marine Corps officer service numbers were intended for retroactive presentation to World War I veterans; the Marine Corps issued these early numbers alphabetically and the first Marine Corps officer number was issued to retired Major James Ackerman. Ackerman was issued the service number '01' with the policy established that all Marine Corps officer numbers would begin with a zero.
The Marine Corps officer corps in the 1920s was relatively small and, by the start of the 1930s, the Marine Corps had yet to issue more than one thousand officer service numbers. In 1931, the number of possible officer numbers was increased to two thousand with this number not yet reached upon the outbreak of World War II in 1941.
During World War II, the officer service number range was extended to 50,000 and, during Korea, extended again to 100,000; this number was not reached by the officer corps until 1966. At that time, the Marine Corps extended the officer service numbers a final time to 125,000. Officer service numbers were then discontinued in 1972.
Marine Corps enlisted numbersEdit
Marine Corps enlisted service numbers were also issued retroactively; however, numbers 1 through 20,000 were never assigned. Thus, the first Marine Corps enlisted service number was 20,001 and was assigned to a Marine named Alexander Schott. Service numbers upwards to 49,999 were also retroactive and assigned to discharged or retired Marines who had served between 1905 and 1917.
The enlisted service numbers between 50,000 and 60,000 were never assigned by the Marine Corps for reasons which are unclear. The next range of numbers, 60,001 to 99,999, were used for retroactive presentation from 1905 to 1919.
The first active Marines who were assigned service numbers fell into the range of 100,000 to 199,999 as it was these numbers which were assigned in the 1920s to the enlisted force of the Marine Corps. In 1935, with the service number cap of 200,000 almost reached, the Marine Corps extended enlisted numbers to a new cap of 350,000. It was in this range that service numbers were being issued upon the outbreak of World War II.
During the early part Second World War, the Marine Corps extended their enlisted service numbers to the number one million with numbers broken down into sub-sections reserved for particular groups enlisting during World War II. The first group, ranging numbers 350,000 to 670,899, were standard Marine Corps enlistees joining for wartime service. Numbers 670,900 to 699,999 were never issued and 700,000 to 799,999 were reserved for female enlisted personnel. The female enlisted service numbers were also the only numbers assigned a prefix code, as the letter W was used to denote female Marine Corps enlisted.
Until the middle of World War II, the remaining service number range of 800,000 to 999,999 was used by regular Marine enlistees. In 1943, the Marine Corps extended enlisted service numbers to 1,699,999 even though the original one million service number cap had not yet been reached. Marine enlisted service number 1,000,000 was issued in 1944 and the cap of 1,700,000 was reached nine years later.
Service numbers 1,700,000 to 1,799,999 were set aside for female enlisted personnel of the 1960s and 1970s while 1,800,000 to 2,000,000 was used by male enlistees. In 1965, with male service numbers running out due to a rise of enlistments during the Vietnam War, the Marine Corps extended enlisted service numbers a final time to 2,800,000. The highest Marine Corps service number reached was slightly above 2,699,000 before the numbers were discontinued in 1971. After this point, all Marine Corps service records converted to Social Security numbers as the primary identification means for service members.
Notable service numbersEdit
Significant Marine Corps service numbers include:[1]
Officer
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- 01: James Ackerman
- 032112: James Whitmore
- 096702: Wesley L. Fox
Enlisted
Military Service Records By Serial Number
- 20001: Alexander Schott
- 98912: Lou Diamond
- 275228: Michael Strank
- 287506: John Basilone
- 337948: Byron De La Beckwith
- 351391: Robert Leckie
- 385253: Brian Keith
- 572744: George C. Scott
- 643310: Gene Hackman
- 1000000: Jack W. Hill
- 1060247: Lawrence Montaigne
- 1522597: Donald P. Bellisario
- 1956039: R. Lee Ermey
- 2080594: Leonard Lake
SourcesEdit
- National Personnel Records Center, Instruction Memo 1865.20E, 'Service Number Information', 14 April 1988
- Military Personnel Records Center, 'Training Guide Concerning Military Service Numbers', 28 June 2009
ReferencesEdit
- ↑National Personnel Records Center, Military Operations Branch, 'Service number index and registry of retired, deceased, and discharged military personnel' (2007)
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Military Records By Serial Number
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