What do we mean by Operational Records?

A U.S. Army unit operational record is something that contains information on the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of a particular unit. Examples of this would include Operational Orders (deployments and redeployments), After-Action Reports, Staff duty logs, and historical summaries. Although other documents may be included, these are most often records created by the units themselves and therefore their quality and quantity vary greatly.

Master Index of Army Records

From the National Archives and Records Administration

Repository	Records
National Archives and Records Administration Military Reference Branch 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20408 Email: archives1reference@nara.gov Website: http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/washington/	Claim files for pensions based on Federal military service 1775-1916, and bounty land warrant application files based on wartime service, 1775-1855. Regular Army enlisted personnel serving from 1789 through 31 October 1912, and officers serving from 1789 through 30 June 1917. Records relating to persons who served in the Confederate States Army from 1861 through 1865. Volunteer service of persons serving during an emergency and whose service was considered to be in the Federal interest during the period 1775-1902. Unit morning reports prior to 1917. Unit operational records prior to 1917. Unit rosters prior to 1917.
National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) Military Personnel Records 1 Archives Drive St. Louis, MO 63138 Note: Many records were destroyed by fire in the St. Louis Center in 1973. Website: http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/	Officers separated after 29 June 1917, and enlisted personnel separated after 31 October 1912. Note: Personnel records of Army members discharged/retired after 30 September 2002, are retained in electronic format by the Army. NPRC has access to the Army’s electronic system and will respond to requests for those records. Awards to individuals no longer in the service or on active duty. Morning reports from 1917-1974. [NB: The Army discontinued the use of morning reports in 1974,changing to personnel data cards. These cards also are on file at the National Personnel Records Center.] Unit rosters for the Regular Army from 1917 to the present.
Archives II Textual Reference Branch National Archives and Records Administration 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740 Email: archives2reference@nara.gov Website: http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/	Unit operational records, 1917-1954, and from 1954 through Vietnam for units that served in Southeast Asia. For post-Vietnam Unit Operational Records: Army records are managed under an approved National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records disposition schedule. These records schedules tell an agency when to transfer permanent records to NARA or when they can legally dispose of non-permanent records. The general rule of thumb is if Army records are older than 30 years and not needed to conduct agency business, they should have been transferred into NARA's custody. Anything less than 30 years but older than one year will most likely still be retained by the U.S. Army Records Management Declassification Agency (Room 102, Casey building, 7701 Telegraph Road Alexandria, VA 22315, https://www.rmda.army.mil/RMDA/RMDA-Contact.html), but may have already been transferred to NARA.
Still Picture Branch Special Media Archives Service Division National Archives and Records Administration 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740 Email: stillpix@nara.gov Website: http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/photographs-dc.html	Official photographs pertaining to the U.S. Army from 1861 to the early 1980s.
Motion Picture and Video Branch Special Archives Division National Archives and Records Administration 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740 Website: http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/visit-motion-picture-room.html	Motion pictures up to the present.

Repository

Records

National Archives and Records Administration
Military Reference Branch
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20408

Email: archives1reference@nara.gov

Website: http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/washington/

Claim files for pensions based on Federal military service 1775-1916, and bounty land warrant application files based on wartime service, 1775-1855.

Regular Army enlisted personnel serving from 1789 through 31 October 1912, and officers serving from 1789 through 30 June 1917.

Records relating to persons who served in the Confederate States Army from 1861 through 1865.

Volunteer service of persons serving during an emergency and whose service was considered to be in the Federal interest during the period 1775-1902.

Unit morning reports prior to 1917.

Unit operational records prior to 1917.

Unit rosters prior to 1917.

National Personnel Records Center (NPRC)
Military Personnel Records
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, MO 63138

Note: Many records were destroyed by fire in the St. Louis Center in 1973.

Website: http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/

Officers separated after 29 June 1917, and enlisted personnel separated after 31 October 1912.

Note: Personnel records of Army members discharged/retired after 30 September 2002, are retained in electronic format by the Army. NPRC has access to the Army’s electronic system and will respond to requests for those records.

Awards to individuals no longer in the service or on active duty.

Morning reports from 1917-1974. [NB: The Army discontinued the use of morning reports in 1974,changing to personnel data cards. These cards also are on file at the National Personnel Records Center.]

Unit rosters for the Regular Army from 1917 to the present.

Archives II Textual Reference Branch
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740

Email: archives2reference@nara.gov

Website: http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/

Unit operational records, 1917-1954, and from 1954 through Vietnam for units that served in Southeast Asia.

For post-Vietnam Unit Operational Records: Army records are managed under an approved National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records disposition schedule. These records schedules tell an agency when to transfer permanent records to NARA or when they can legally dispose of non-permanent records. The general rule of thumb is if Army records are older than 30 years and not needed to conduct agency business, they should have been transferred into NARA's custody. Anything less than 30 years but older than one year will most likely still be retained by the U.S. Army Records Management Declassification Agency (Room 102, Casey building, 7701 Telegraph Road Alexandria, VA 22315, https://www.rmda.army.mil/RMDA/RMDA-Contact.html), but may have already been transferred to NARA.

Still Picture Branch
Special Media Archives Service Division
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740

Email: stillpix@nara.gov

Website: http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/photographs-dc.html

Official photographs pertaining to the U.S. Army from 1861 to the early 1980s.

Motion Picture and Video Branch
Special Archives Division
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740

Website: http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/visit-motion-picture-room.html

Motion pictures up to the present.

From the U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH)

U.S. Army Center of Military History
102 Fourth Avenue, BLDG 35 (Collins Hall)
Fort Lesley J. McNair, DC 20319-5060

CONTACT CMH:
http://www.history.army.mil/inquire.html

(only a percentage of Army units have current lineage and honors information compiled, some of which is posted to http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lh.html)

Information pertaining to unit lineage and honors

Retired Active Duty Army general officer biographies

Note: CMH also has copies of some of the operational records relating to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn. Due to the subject matter, the vast majority of these records as still classified and access to these records will be limited to official researchers with the appropriate security clearances only.

U.S. Army Center of Military History
The Institute of Heraldry, Room S112
9325 Gunston Road, Building 1466
Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-5579

Website: http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/default.aspx

Heraldic data; information concerning flags, colors, streamers, guidons, insignia, and uniforms.

U.S. Army Center of Military History
ATTN: AAMH-MDC
9955 Tracy Loop, BLDG 765
Fort Belvoir, VA 22060

CONTACT CMH: http://www.history.army.mil/inquire.html

Army material culture; location and disposition of Army historical property, to include ordnance, accouterments, flags, military materiel, and associated artifacts.

Other Locations

U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center 950 Soldiers Drive Carlisle, PA 17013 Email: us.army.carlisle.awc.mbx.ahec-ves@mail.mil Website: https://ahec.armywarcollege.edu/	Unofficial materials, including unit histories, personal papers, diaries, and photographs; selected official papers are also available.
Defense Imagery Management Operations Center Website: http://www.dimoc.mil	Official photographs and videos pertaining to the U.S. Army since the early 1980s.
Army Reserve Personnel Center 1 Archives Drive St. Louis, MO 63138	Rosters for Army Reserve units from 1917 to the present.
Awards and Decorations Branch U.S. Army Human Resources Command ATTN: AHRC-PDP-A 1600 Spearhead Division Avenue Fort Knox, KY 40122 Email: usarmy.knox.hrc.mbx.tagd-awards@mail.mil Website: http://www.hrc.army.mil/TAGD/Awards%20and%20Decorations%20Branch	Awards to individuals still on active duty. Recent award recommendations and pending unit awards.
U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency 600 Chennault Circle Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6424 Website: http://www.afhra.af.mil	Records concerning units in or assigned to the U.S. Army Air Forces.

Note: Most unit information pertaining to individual soldiers would be in the morning reports and rosters.