What Selective Service records from the Vietnam era are preserved at the National Archives and how can they be accessed?
Executive summary
The National Archives—primarily the National Archives at St. Louis (the Records Recovery and Preservation Office, RRPO)—holds the Selective Service registration cards and classification histories for men who registered from the World War II period through the Vietnam era (generally men born before 1960); other individual draftee files were destroyed and most Selective Service material is no longer accessible through the Selective Service System itself [1] [2] [3]. These holdings are largely not available online; researchers must submit a formal request (Form NA-13172) to the St. Louis RRPO, which processes searches and copy requests and may charge reproduction fees [1] [3] [4].
1. What records from the Vietnam era does NARA actually hold?
The National Archives’ St. Louis facility is the official repository for post‑WWII through Vietnam‑era Selective Service records and retains the two principal surviving individual draft record types: the registration (draft) cards and the classification histories that document how registrants were classified for service or deferment; other individual draftee files were destroyed by the Selective Service System in 1978 in accordance with records schedules, so researchers should not expect fuller personnel dossiers to exist at NARA for most registrants [1] [3] [2].
2. Who is covered and who is not—scope and legal limits
The cutoff used by NARA’s St. Louis RRPO covers men born before 1960 (with a specific note that men born March 29, 1957–December 31, 1959 were not required to register because the program was suspended when they reached age 18), while Selective Service records for men born on or after January 1, 1960 remain under the custody or responsibility of the Selective Service System rather than NARA; this split matters for researchers trying to locate a particular individual’s draft paperwork [1] [2].
3. How to access the records—forms, offices, and digital limitations
To obtain copies or to request a search of St. Louis holdings, researchers must complete NARA’s Selective Service Request process—historically Form NA‑13172—and submit it to the RRPO at the National Archives in St. Louis (instructions and an RRPO contact email appear in NARA guidance and community forums); the National Archives charges for copies under its fee schedule and most veterans’ and Selective Service cards are not available for direct online download, so expect an office search and reproduction process rather than instant online access [1] [3] [4].
4. Electronic databases and related Vietnam‑era records at NARA
While individual Selective Service cards and classification histories are primarily managed through the St. Louis RRPO and are not broadly published online, the National Archives does provide a wide range of Vietnam‑era electronic databases—casualty files, POW/MIA records, unit histories and other datasets—accessible through the Access to Archival Databases (AAD) system and Catalog; these resources can complement draft records when reconstructing service histories but do not replace the specific Selective Service registration and classification documents housed at St. Louis [5] [6] [7].
5. Practical tips, caveats and the archival politics beneath the guidance
Researchers should assemble basic identifying information (full name, birth date, place of registration) before submitting Form NA‑13172 because NARA searches are index‑driven, should budget for reproduction fees and processing time, and should be aware that a 1978 Selective Service records purge and the statutory transfer of custody to NARA mean some lines of inquiry end at “no surviving file” rather than at an accessible folder; the Selective Service System itself explicitly notes it can no longer access these older records, which places the burden of search and retrieval squarely on NARA’s St. Louis RRPO [3] [2] [1].