How to recover lost military medical records?

Have you tried contacting the medical unit that saw you? They may have a copy.

If you are not able to get it, I've heard that sworn statements from others who were serving with you could corroborate your injury, and that the VA would still consider those.

Unfortunately, this is why I request copies of medical paperwork prior to leaving a appointment or treatment. All to often medical records are missing documentation. I'm sorry that I don't have an answer for you but I think other than checking with the facility in Iraq if it's still open which it probably isn't, I don't think you will be able to retrieve that info.

Your deployed military medical-dental records likely were stored in a DoD system called Theater Medical Data Store (TMDS), not in AHLTA like they are anywhere else outside of a designated war zone. Here is the link to contact TMDS to try to retrieve your records. https://health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Health-Readiness/Environmental-Exposures/Theater-Medical-Data-Store I discovered all of this merely by chance during my second deployment to Iraq. None of my medical records from my first deployment ever made it into my Navy AHLTA or VA medical records and I had no idea why. They had just disappeared and I had never heard of TMDS at that point. When I had to go to medical again in Baghdad during my second mobilization, the Army enlisted member at the CASH found all of my missing records on his computer in TMDS from my first deployment - plus he added in all the new information. He said to make sure that I obtained a hard-copy of my entire TMDS medical-dental record before redeploying this time and to ensure that a copy of it was entered into my official Navy AHLTA and hard-copy medical records when I got back to Norfolk. He told me to tell everyone else I knew about TMDS, as well. I also provided a copy to the VA as an attachment to a disability claim using a VSO and retained the original copy for myself. Maybe this will help you to finally track-down your missing records. Nobody ever tells us anything - good luck!!!