FRANKFORT, Ky. –
Kentucky Soldiers can get access to their records with a simple phone call to the Department of the Army Military Records.
The DMA Military Records and Research Branch is responsible for housing,
preserving and providing access to the records to the Kentucky Army National Guard and its predecessors as its primary mission. Additionally, they have DD214's for Service members who served on active duty, but had a Kentucky Home of Record from 1947 until present.
"All a service member needs to do is contact this office and ask for their
DD 214 or fill out an individual form to fax to us and we can turn that
around in about 15 to 30 minutes," said Kathy Boyle, branch manager.
They hold over 750,000 Kentucky veterans' records from all conflicts from
the Spanish-American War to the present.
Records are stored on microfilm for service members who were serving prior to 1951. Those who served after 1951 are paper copies. Federal funds are being awarded in the future to digitize those records.
"We pride ourselves on customer service and taking care of our veterans,"
said Boyle. "We have Kentucky National Guard retired veterans that a company was charging anywhere from $100 to $250 for records and all they do is fax us a form and we send the records back. When we figured out that was what the company was doing; we knew we had to get the word out. Now we have them provide us with the Veterans name, address or telephone contact information and we send records directly to the Veteran."
Without military records meticulously work, service members wouldn't be able to get the proof of their service for such things as VA benefits, home loans, veteran's discharge papers, nursing home applications and burial
benefits.
The records branch is open weekdays 8:00 am till 4:30 pm but is accessible anytime online. Their office is located outside Boone National Guard Center at 1700 Louisville Rd, Bldg. #317, Frankfort, Ky. 40601. Their main phone number is 502-607-6041 and their fax number is 502-607-6040. You can also email them at ng.ky.kyarng.mbx.ky-dma-records@mail.mil.