Is it possible that a 30 something guy served and the Air force lost all his records?

SPC Charles Griffith — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 23:19:56 -0400

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Jun 27 at 2019 11:53 PM

LTC Jason Mackay — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 23:53:13 -0400

SPC Charles Griffith do I believe a 30 something guy served in the USAF and the SM lost all his records....any given day on RP. Do I believe the US Air Force lost all his records? All of them? No. He's either hiding a the big lie of never serving, or a bad paper discharge. You can go to NPRC and request a public release of his service status.

If he were 39, and he joined at 18, that puts him entering service in 1998. Everything was digitial. Given what you said, doesn't wash.

So what is the back story?

Response by LCDR Joshua Gillespie made Jun 28 at 2019 7:46 AM

LCDR Joshua Gillespie — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 07:46:49 -0400

I always hate to make assumptions; anything's possible. When I left active duty, I requested (and received) a CD that supposedly had "my records"...it had nothing beyond my commissioning as an ensign. My hard copy DD-214 was reasonably complete, but I never received an updated one when I was promoted to O-4, and there were (to the best of my knowledge) various things I rated "left off". However, based on the fact that my LESs all read correctly, and FITREPS (evals) and other documentation was available... I find it very hard to believe someone of that age had his records "lost". Sounds suspect to me.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 28 at 2019 10:59 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 10:59:54 -0400

I am 100% in a agreement with everyone here. Loss of paperwork is an issue across all branches but there would be some sliver of paperwork on this guy. The fact that he himself doesn't have anything in his possession is highly suspect too.

Response by SFC Quinn Chastant made Jun 29 at 2019 3:17 PM

SFC Quinn Chastant — Sat, 29 Jun 2019 15:17:24 -0400

I would say a full loss of records never happened, although paper records have been known to be misplaced. I ETSed from Active Duty after 6&1/2 years in 1982. I had complete copies of my DD214s and the extra copies of documents from my 201 file which also showed enlistment into the IRR. Later I approached an Army Reserve Unit about enlisting into it. I had my copies of paperwork by which to begin the process. However the processing unit at Ft. Dix, NJ was at fault for my official MILPO Records Jacket being misfiled. Took over 6 months for that to get rectified.

However now with computerized records, and tracking he can't claim lost records. There would be both a local file and a back up that would be searchable through the DoD Data Base.

Hell, even a foreign government and some criminal enterprises probably have full copies of my Military and Civilian 201s from the last Hack Attack. but yeah complete loss? hasn't happened since the Federal Archives in St. Louis had a fire a few decades back.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 29 at 2019 3:52 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 29 Jun 2019 15:52:32 -0400

I'm 39 and I joined when I was 18 in 98. Everything wasn't digitized then and I could have easily lost everything from my first enlistment. However, the Army would still have a copy of my contract and absolutely have a copy of my 214. Plus, DFAS would have a record of paying them. Right around the start of GWOT everything started going digital and it became very difficult for the military to misplace records permanently. Even now when people enter service and their records are missing their initial entry contract, a quick phone call can see it retrieved in a day or two.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 30 at 2019 7:05 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 30 Jun 2019 07:05:20 -0400

No I don’t think it’s possible. I’ve seen records exist (although not always complete) even for many of the guys who enlisted in WWII and before Korea who lost a bulk of their records in the archives fire. If they can find parts of their records then there is no way there are no records for a guy who joined up in the mid to late 1990’s.

Response by SSgt Arland Kunz made Aug 6 at 2019 11:21 AM

SSgt Arland Kunz — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 11:21:11 -0400

It is possible that his records were in the fire in 1973.