Personnel Files

When a service member was killed in action, died of wounds or disease, or was listed as missing in action, the military generated a deceased personnel file. These Individual Deceased Personnel Files (IDPFs) frequently contain information about the veteran’s service, the disposition of remains, and correspondence with the family. IDPFs are a vital tool for researching the service, death, and burial of a service member.

Currently, IDPFs are available for the following services and time periods:

Army and Army Air Corps for World War II and the Korean War for personnel with last names A-L.

Navy for the years 1907-1989.

Marine Corps for the years 1940-1989.

Air Force for the years 1947-1973.

There are earlier and later types of IDPF available as well:

IDPFs for the period 1915-1939 are known as World War I Burial Case Files.

Personnel killed in Vietnam have a Mortuary File, which is basically a later version of the IDPF.