{"id":4878,"date":"2019-05-25T08:40:54","date_gmt":"2019-05-25T13:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geneosity.com\/?p=4878"},"modified":"2019-06-26T16:57:56","modified_gmt":"2019-06-26T21:57:56","slug":"the-genealogical-importance-of-an-individual-deceased-personnel-file","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geneosity.com\/the-genealogical-importance-of-an-individual-deceased-personnel-file\/","title":{"rendered":"The Genealogical Importance of an Individual Deceased Personnel File"},"content":{"rendered":"

Finding information about family members in the military when records were lost or destroyed.<\/em><\/h3>\n

Sadly, many of us, me included, have ancestors that were killed in the line of duty in the United States military during times of war.<\/p>\n

Researching an individual\u2019s military service can be complicated if you’re seeking out potentially missing military service records destroyed by the 1973 fire at the National Archives.<\/p>\n

An Individual Deceased Personnel File can be a great tool to get around this lack of information.<\/p>\n

What is an Individual Deceased Personnel File?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

An Individual Deceased Personnel File, or IDPF, is a military personnel file created to document a military member\u2019s death and the actions related to the disposition of their remains.\u00a0 Each file is unique and can contain a wealth of information.<\/p>\n

What information can be found in an Individual Deceased Personnel File?<\/strong><\/p>\n

An IDPF can contain a large amount of information that begins with the death of the soldier and ending with their final interment.\u00a0 The file can include documents like:<\/p>\n

Report of Death.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>This will include details like date of birth, next of kin, home address, branch of service, assigned unit, date and cause of death.<\/p>\n

Report of Burial.<\/em>\u00a0 This will contain unit assignment, rank, and place of initial burial.<\/p>\n

Fingerprints and Dental Records.<\/em>\u00a0 These were used as a means to identify the deceased soldier.<\/p>\n

Disinterment Directive.<\/em> \u00a0 When a soldier died overseas, the family was given the option to have their deceased soldier buried in a United States Cemetery overseas or brought home for burial.\u00a0 This form was a record of the family\u2019s wishes.<\/p>\n

Inventory of Effects.<\/em>\u00a0 After a soldier was killed, their personal belongings would have been sent to the person listed as their next of kin.\u00a0 This is a list of those personal effects.<\/p>\n

Official Correspondence.<\/strong><\/em> \u00a0This would include letters as a means of communication between the United States Government and the deceased soldier\u2019s family.<\/p>\n

How can the facts in an Individual Deceased Personnel File be used to tell a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is easy to get caught up in the facts of an IDPF and all of the military bureaucracy; but by paying attention to the little details in the documents, a more personal picture appears.\u00a0 Many of the letters were handwritten by grieving family members and can paint a very moving picture of the impact that a war has and on the great loss felt at home.<\/p>\n

The list of personal effects that were sent home can give a glimpse into the personality of the soldier.\u00a0 One of the most powerful things I’ve been able to do was to be able to look at the list of the effects that belonged to my uncle and to know that I have some of those things in my possession.\u00a0 My grandparents thought enough of those things to keep them.<\/p>\n

Also, these files can put facts to family stories.\u00a0 Growing up, I had heard how my uncle died in Vietnam and my great-uncle in World War II.\u00a0 To see each of their IDPF files filled a lot of gaps in the stories I had heard and answered a lot of questions.<\/p>\n

Where can an Individual Deceased Personnel File Be Found?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Copies of an individual’s IDPF can be directly requested from the\u00a0National Archives Website.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Finding information about family members in the military when records were lost or destroyed. Sadly, many of us, me included, have ancestors that were killed … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":541,"featured_media":5028,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Genealogical Importance of an Individual Deceased Personnel File<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sometimes military service records become lost or detroyed, but An Individual Deceased Personnel File can help you get around this lack of information.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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