CARL THOMAS THORNTON

WWII ARMY VETERAN EUROPEAN THEATER

National Archives at St.Louis

History in Words and Photos

04/13/14

THORNTON GENEALOGY PROJECT 2011

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Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Enrollee Records

• NA Form 14136, Request for CCC Personnel Records
• Copy Fees
• Additional CCC Holdings and Resources
• Sample CCC Documents

Individuals may access these records by either submitting a written request or submitting a NA Form 14136, Request Pertaining to Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Personnel Records, for copies of the records (for a COPY FEE) via postal mail. Please identify the documents or information needed and explain the purpose of your request.

Requests for Civilian Conservation Corps records should include:

• Full name used at the time of service (provide exact spelling and include the middle name if known); nicknames (if known)
• Social Security Number (if known)
• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Home address (city and state) at time of service
• Parents' name
• Dates of service
• CCC Company numbers
• Location of CCC camp(s) (city and state)
• Title(s) of position(s) held

Lack of the preceding information may result in our inability to identify a record.

Written requests may be mailed:

National Archives & Records Administration
ATTN: Archival Programs
P.O. Box 38757
St. Louis, MO 63138

Copy Fees:

The NARA fee schedule authorizes the Agency to collect fees from the public for copies of archival records (44 USC 2116c and 44 USC 2307).

A mailed request requires the purchase of the COMPLETE photocopy of the record:

• 5 pages or less: $25 flat fee
• 6 pages or more: $70 flat fee

Please do not send payment with your request. An invoice will be sent to you if the requested record is located.

Additional CCC Holdings and Resources:

Additional Civilian Conservation Corps records are available at other National Archives and Records Administration facilities. Holdings include records relating to the organization and operations of the CCC, as well as area camp reports. For additional details, please visit Online Public Access. Contact information for the appropriate NARA facility is available by clicking the hyperlink below each entry found within the section of OPA referenced above. 

PDF files require the free Adobe Reader.
More information on Adobe Acrobat PDF files is available on our Accessibility page.

Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Holdings

OMPF, Archival Holdings

* Records are accessioned into the National Archives, and become archival, 62 years after the service member's separation from the military. This is a rolling date; hence, the current year, 2014, minus 62 years is 1952. Records with a discharge date of 1952 or prior are archival and are open to the public. Records with a discharge date of 1952 or after are non-archival and are maintained under the Federal Records Center program. Click Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Federal (non-archival) Holdings to access these records.

Please Note: On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the NPRC destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files. The records affected:

See 1973 Fire for more information on the records affected and the alternate sources used to reconstruct basic service information.

Older military personnel records, generally prior to WWI depending on the service branch (see Records Location Table), are on file at the National Archives and Records Administration, Old Military and Civil Records Branch (NWCTB), Washington, DC 20408. See Requesting Copies of Older Military Service Records for more information.

The Archival Research Room

• Scheduling an Appointment
• Availability of Records
• Copy Fees
• Hiring an Independent Researcher
• Contact Information

What is the difference between Federal and Archival Records?

Our Research Room:

The Archival Research Room is dedicated to providing the public full and open access to the National Personnel Records Center's (NPRC) archival records holdings. In our Research Room, patrons have the opportunity to view records previously unavailable to the general public. Such access makes possible a fuller understanding of our nation's cultural heritage and allows genealogists, researchers and the general public a unique look into the individual histories of those who have served their country, whether in a military or civilian capacity.

What records are open to the public?

Scheduling an Appointment:

Hours of Operation: Tuesday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Central Time
(Closed Mondays, weekends, and Federal holidays)

E-mail: stlarr.archives@nara.gov, or
Telephone: 314-801-0850

Please Note: While the NPRC's Archival Research Room is open to the public; individuals wishing to review records need to schedule an appointment in advance of their arrival. Appointments are required, due to limited seating capacity (see also Availability of Records). When scheduling an appointment please have the following information available when you call:

• Your full name;
• Your daytime telephone number;
• The date and time of the desired appointment (tentative, pending confirmation of space and record availability - see Availability of Records);
• Whether or not you want to bring electronic equipment (see Archival Research Room, Policies and Procedures if you plan to bring a computer, scanner or camera);
• The specifics of the records you are requesting. For example, if you are requesting an Official Military Personnel File (OMPF), you will need to include in your message: the veteran's complete name as used in service; service number; branch of service; date and place of birth; and dates of service - or as much information as possible. See Archival Records for a listing of records open to the public.

Researchers must coordinate with the Research Room to submit requests and forms needed for the visit. First time researchers are required to provide additional information and forms (see Archival Research Room, Policies and Procedures). Researchers are encouraged to submit these forms in advance.

Appointments provide the Archival Research Room staff with the time needed to search, verify and pull the requested materials, allowing researchers to maximize their scheduled visit time.

Visitors who arrive without advance coordination may not be able to receive requested information promptly. Some records, such as Federal civilian Official Personnel Folders (OPF), are located offsite and require time to process. Also, research space is limited and may not be available without prior notice. Please plan your visit in advance so that we may accommodate your needs.

Archival and Federal (non-archival) records are accessed in separate Research Rooms. If you want to view both archival and non-archival records, you must schedule an appointment with each Research Room. See Visitors and On-Site Researchers for policies, procedures and hours.

Availability of Records:

Several factors must be considered before an individual can view a record. These include:

1. Determination that the requested record actually exists (see 1973 Fire).
2. Records that were damaged in the 1973 Fire may not be immediately available for review. All fire-related records must be examined by our Preservation staff and, when necessary, be treated to mitigate mold contamination or other damage. In some cases, the requested record may not be available for review due to the severity of damage. In these instances, where possible, photocopies will be provided to researchers.
3. Extremely fragile or severely damaged records may require extensive and time consuming conservation treatment from our Preservation Staff before they can be handled and/or photocopied.
4. Verification that the record is archival and accessible to the public (see Archival Records).
• The general public is not allowed direct access to non-archival records. Limited information from these records is made available (via postal mail or fax) to the public under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). See Records Center Program for additional information.
• Veterans, or their next-of-kin (NOK) , may request copies of information from non-archival records online, or via postal mail or fax (see Access to non-archival OMPFs). Veterans, or their next-of-kin, who have a strong interest in viewing their own files in person, rather than receiving document copies by mail, may request an appointment to view non-archival records with the Federal Records Center Research Room .
5. It may take considerable time to identify and locate the requested record. The efficiency of available finding aids varies.

The record reviews and preservation actions cited above could take several weeks (or months) to complete based upon various factors. Scheduling Research Room appointments in advance of visits is imperative.

Copy Fees:

The NARA fee schedule authorizes the Agency to collect fees from the public for copies of archived records (44 USC 2116c and 44 USC 2307).

There is no fee to request and review an archival record in the Archival Research Room. So too, any number of pages may be copied for a per page fee.

• Paper to paper copy made by Attendant: $ .80 per page and $3.50 per microform to paper copy
• Self-service copies are $ .25 per paper to paper copy and $ .60 per microform to paper copy

The Research Room Attendant will determine if the condition of the requested record allows for self-service copying.

Payment by Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express Card is preferred, though cash or personal check is accepted. Photocopy fees must be paid at the end of each day's research.

Hiring an Independent Local Researcher:

Patrons in locations remote to St. Louis may consider hiring an independent researcher to conduct research on their behalf. History departments at some of the local universities may also have graduate students available to conduct research:

• St. Louis University: 314-977-2910
• University of Missouri, St. Louis: 314-516-5681
• Lindenwood University: 636-949-4415

Hours | Address | Directions

Hours of Operation:
Tuesday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Central Time
(Closed Mondays, weekends, and Federal holidays)

Address:
National Personnel Records Center
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, MO 63138

Telephone: 314-801-0850
E-mail: stlarr.archives@nara.gov
Status Check: mprstatus@nara.gov
Fax: 314-801-0608

The 1973 Fire, National Personnel Records Center

The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) Fire: A Study in Disaster

Overview:

On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF). The records affected:

No duplicate copies of these records were ever maintained, nor were microfilm copies produced. Neither were any indexes created prior to the fire. In addition, millions of documents had been lent to the Department of Veterans Affairs before the fire occurred. Therefore, a complete listing of the records that were lost is not available. However, in the years following the fire, the NPRC collected numerous series of records (referred to as Auxiliary Records) that are used to reconstruct basic service information.

The Fire:

Shortly after midnight, on July 12, 1973, a fire was reported at the NPRC's military personnel records building at 9700 Page Boulevard in St. Louis, MO. Firefighters arrived on the scene only 4 minutes and 20 seconds after the first alarm sounded and entered the building. While they were able to reach the burning sixth floor, the heat and the smoke forced the firefighters to withdraw at 3:15am. In order to combat and contain the flames, firefighters were forced to pour great quantities of water onto the exterior of the building and inside through broken windows. The fire burned out of control for 22 hours; it took two days before firefighters were able to re-enter the building. The blaze was so intense that local Overland residents had to remain indoors, due to the heavy acrid smoke. It was not until July 16, nearly four and a half days after the first reports, that the local fire department called the fire officially out.

During the long ordeal, firefighters faced severe problems due to insufficient water pressure. Exacerbating the situation, one of the department's pumper trucks broke down after 40 hours of continuous operation. Numerous times, the fire threatened to spread down to the other floors; but firefighters were successful in halting its advance. In all, it took the participation of 42 fire districts to combat the disastrous blaze. Due to the extensive damages, investigators were never able to determine the source of the fire.

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The Aftermath:

The National Archives focused its immediate attention on salvaging as much as possible and quickly resuming operations at the Page facility. Even before the final flames were out, staff at the NPRC had begun work towards these efforts. All requests and records shipments from other government agencies were temporarily halted, and certain vital records were removed from the burning building for safekeeping. These included the NPRC's operating records, a computer index for a major portion of the NPRC's holdings, and more than 100,000 reels of morning reports for the Army (1912-1959) and Air Force (1947-1959). The latter proved especially important in the days following, as NPRC's officials determined that the fire damage had been worst among the Army and Air Force records for this same time period. As such, on July 23, 1973, the Government issued a Federal Property Management Regulations Bulletin (FPMR B-39) halting Federal agencies from disposing of records that might be useful in documenting military service. Such records have proved vital in efforts to reconstruct basic service information for requestors.

On July 23, the NPRC awarded a construction contract to clear and remove the remains from the ruined sixth floor. That same day, employees, previously on administrative leave, returned to work to assist in recovery efforts and resume reference services. The removal and salvage of water and fire damaged records from the building was the most important priority, and such efforts were overseen by a specially appointed project manager. Their work led to the recovery of approximately 6.5 million burned and water damaged records.

Following the fire, the most immediate concern in the center revolved around water. In order to combat the blaze, firefighters had been forced to pour millions of gallons of water into the building. To stop sporadic rekindling of fire, firefighters continued spraying water on the building until late July. In addition, broken water lines continued to flood the building until they could be capped. Water damage was heaviest on the 5th floor but was spread throughout the building. Standing water, combined with the high temperatures and humidity of a typical St. Louis summer, created a situation ripe for mold growth. As paper is highly susceptible to mold, officials sprayed thymol throughout the building to control any outbreak.

Controlling the spread of mold was one concern; but, so too, was the issue of how to dry the millions of water-soaked records. Initially, NPRC staffers shipped these water-damaged records in plastic milk crates to a temporary facility at the civilian records center on Winnebago, where hastily constructed drying racks had been assembled from spare shelving. When it was discovered that McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corporation in St. Louis had vacuum-drying facilities, the NPRC diverted its water damaged records there for treatment. The vacuum-dry process took place in a chamber that had previously been utilized to simulate temperature and pressure conditions for the Mercury and Gemini space missions. The chamber was large enough to accommodate approximately 2,000 plastic milk cartons of water and fire damaged records. Once inside, McDonnell Douglas technicians lowered the air in the chamber to the freezing point and then filled the room with hot dry air, which squeezed out the water molecules. For each chamber load, they were able to extract approximately 8 pounds of water per container - the equivalent of nearly 8 total tons of water for each session. In addition to utilizing two more supplemental drying chambers at McDonnell Douglas, the NPRC also sent records to a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facility in Ohio for drying.

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Towards Reconstruction:

As part of the reconstruction effort, the NPRC established a "B" registry file (or Burned File) to index the 6.5 million recovered records. So too, the NPRC established a separate temperature controlled "B" file area to protect and safeguard the damaged records. Later, in April 1974, the NPRC established the "R" registry file (or Reconstructed File) to further assist with reconstruction efforts. Since then, staffers have placed all newly reconstructed records into the "R" registry file and stored them in an area separate from the "B," or burned, files.

In the months following the fire, the NPRC initiated several new records recovery and reconstruction efforts, including the establishment of a new branch to deal with damaged records issues. As many military personnel records had been partially or completely destroyed by the fire, the new branch's central mission was to reconstruct records for those requesting service information from the NPRC. While some staffers sought to recover such information from documents and alternate sources outside of the NPRC, others searched through the center's organizational files for records to supplement the destroyed OMPFs.

These alternate sources have played a vital role in the NPRC's efforts to reconstruct service files. Some of the more important records used by the NPRC to supplement damage files include: Veterans Administration (VA) claims files, individual state records, Multiple Name Pay Vouchers (MPV) from the Adjutant General's Office, Selective Service System (SSS) registration records, pay records from the Government Accounting Office (GAO), as well as medical records from military hospitals, entrance and separation x-rays and organizational records. Many work hours were spent making these sources usable. Efforts included: the transfer of records to the NPRC, screening projects and securing access to VA computer records.

In terms of loss to the cultural heritage of our nation, the 1973 NPRC Fire was an unparalleled disaster. In the aftermath of the blaze, recovery and reconstruction effort took place at an unprecedented level. Thanks to such recovery efforts and the use of alternate sources to reconstruct files, today's NPRC is able to continue its primary mission of serving our country's military and civil servants.

Learn more about burned records and how the NPRC's Preservation Laboratory works to treat and make these damaged files accessible.

The National Archives at St. Louis

• Archival Records Holdings
• Contact Information
• Archival Research Room
• Researcher Forums

What is the difference between Federal and Archival Records?

The National Archives at St. Louis maintains a number of different records series among its holdings. Records include Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs), Federal civilian Official Personnel Folders (OPF), and Selective Service Records. Click on the links below for an overview of our holdings and information on how to access these records.

Archival Records Holdings: