Find my Discharge

Medium

General Information

Upon discharge from military service the service member’s discharges are sent to their state of residence, usually as indicated by the veteran. The North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs maintains these records but not all states do.

It is recommended that you file a copy of your DD 214 with your county court house, at no charge, and maintain a copy in a safe place. It is important that your family members or trusted individual know where your DD214 is located.

There are several places where your DD214 may have been stored, including your county (or county Veteran returned to upon discharge), North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs (NDDVA), the North Dakota National Guard, Other State Department of Veteran Affairs Offices (if the veteran resided in another state after being discharged from the military), and the National Record Center.

When requesting copies it is helpful to include the following information:

  • Veteran’s full name.
  • Dates of service (as close as possible)
  • Service number and/or Social Security Number
  • Veterans Date of Birth
  • Branch of Service
  • Complete “REQUEST FOR RELEASE OF PRIVATE DATA” SFN 54412 (pdf).  Mail, fax or deliver signed SFN 54412 as directed.

Requests for copies of discharge papers may be made by the Veteran or the next of kin of a deceased Veteran which include a surviving spouse that has not remarried, father, mother, son, daughter, sister, or brother.

How to Find a Copy

Counties

Discharge papers in North Dakota counties may be stored with the County Veterans Service Officer or with the County Clerk of Courts. A certified copy will be supplied at no charge.

ND Department of Veterans Affairs

The North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs maintains discharges from 1941 to present. This includes National Guard federalized service time and active duty training time. Information pre-1941 is very limited. 

Contact the North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs to determine if the discharge is on record.

ND National Guard

For a copy of the DD214 and/or NGB22, you can:

MN National Guard

Submit an SF-180 with your request and mail to:

Visit the MN National Guard website for more information.

Other State Departments of Veterans Affairs

If the Veteran resided in a state other than North Dakota after being discharged, the Veteran may have selected that state’s Department of Veterans Affairs to have their DD214 sent to. Please note that not all states store discharges.

Visit the US VA website for information on other states veterans affairs offices.

Reserve Components: Army, Navy, Marines

Utilize the National Records Center to request your DD214 or equivalent. Reserve equivalent to DD214 is form 256A in addition to Form 469.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Form 5616) and the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS Form 1867). 

Division of Commissioned Corps Officer Support
ATTN: Records Officer
1101 Wooton Parkway, Plaza Level, Suite 100
Rockville, MD 20852

Use form SF180

National Records Center

Complete "Request for Military Records" SF 180 (pdf) and mail, fax or deliver the signed SF 180 as directed on the form.  You can also complete your request online at the National Archives website.

Submit form as instructed on last page of form.

To submit to National Archives:

Mail to:

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

  • or fax to 314-801-9195
  • for urgent requests: Fax to 314-801-0764.
  • To speak to customer service staff: 314-801-0800 

Forms