The 1973 Fire That Destroyed 17 Million Military Service Records
On July 12, 1973, a fire destroyed between 16 and 18 million military personnel files at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. No sprinkler system. No backup copies. No index. For millions of veterans and their families, the record of service simply vanished.
On July 12, 1973, smoke began rising from the sixth floor of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. By the time it was over, an entire generation of American military service had been reduced to ash.
No sprinkler system existed. No backup copies had been made. No index survived. For the millions of veterans who served between 1912 and 1963, the fire didn't just destroy paper — it erased proof of service, blocked disability claims, and severed families from their own histories.
"The cause of the fire was never officially determined. The man on the motorcycle was never found."
Drawing on declassified FBI files, congressional testimony, NARA archives, and original genealogical research, The Erased Generation tells the full story of the disaster — what burned, why it was allowed to happen, and what it means that fifty years later, we still don't have answers.
This book was built from fragments — and fragments are imperfect. If you find an error in the text, have additional information about any person or event mentioned, or wish to share your own family's experience with the NPRC fire, the author wants to hear from you.
Corrections submitted by readers will be reviewed and incorporated into future editions. Every submission is read personally.
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ErasedGeneration.com
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