Yes, it costs MONEY$$$ to get the xeroxes and postage -- each office has their rules of how much to charge and usually ranges from $12 up and usually is in accordance with the number of xeroxes, etc. This money is supposed to pay for the services so it isn't out of your tax dollars -- although I do believe that is highly unlikely and some is going to come from your tax dollars -- and I apologize for that -- but these offices are going to have to work and be paid, whether we are requesting things or not, whether they are sitting waiting for requests come in or sitting waiting for the phone -- I feel we might as well make use of their services by requesting stuff or having them keying-in / digitizing documents and other info into computers, etc. Everyone must make their own decision on whether you think this request is using everyone else's tax dollars or worth every penny by getting information on what the govt already has that has been hidden all these years.) To Mr/Ms Kieffer (letter below) and to everyone else too: What you stated is true but for your grandchildren YOUR military files will be a superb find and also good reading and have much in them for their family books. The military records, although FOIA, has rules too that must be statisfied (such as that nothing can be given out until the x-military person is DEAD -- well, you are alive at the present so you don't have to worry about it UNLESS YOU are the one requesting these things. Even upon death there are some rules and your children cannot get these papers unless they are the next of kin -- their rules state you have to prove that you are dead with copy of death certificate, then your spouse is next of kin followed by your mother, your father, then oldest child, etc.) How do I know the above? Because I had to get a special paper signed by my mother (the next of kin) to send with the death certificate to get my father's military papers. In them were wonderful and not-so-wonderful things -- there was a written letter my grandmother wrote to the commander back in 1930's and some other letters she had written as well as letters that others in the community wrote, some photos I had never before seen of him in uniform, etc. Of course when he was demoted for hitting an officer in a fight, his being ordered to stay away from the "women of the night", his being brought up on court-martial charges several times for always having a still and moonshine / white lightning (each time he got off because all the evidence came up missing -- [his mother's kentucky teachings he used, ha,ha]) and other BAD things were there too (but these things I already knew). I also found out that they have some medals he had never received and upon talking with a congressman I was told they could be issued to his grandsons in a ceremony if that was my desire, or sent to me (since now my mother too is deceased). There were also some letters UNOPENED that I received -- one in particular was of special interest -- had an embossed (with parafin and gold) dragon and a photo of the USS Lexington and inside was a hand-scribed letter from the commander of same thanking him for participating in the search for Amelia Earhart, telling number of miles they covered while searching, etc. Since shortly after this letter was written the USS Lexington sunk and the commander and crew died, this is one "heck" of a find for me and my genealogy family history. There was also an interview and some Public Affairs items that had been in newspapers with my father showing date, paper, and entire article there. (plus there were still documents that even after their declassifying many things are STILL classified -- shows he went out on XXXX ship on a specific date and then months later shows he came back on the USS Henderson and everything in between is STILL CLASSIFIED (we are talking WWII era). But the main point is -- to ME they are important and they are NOT readily available until after the military person is deceased. Govt does STILL protect its own. Wanted to let everyone know so they don't think it is FREE right now to request things, or that everything about the living is just going to be FREELY given out without respecting the living persons' rights and records too. Judy M. >Having spent 26 years in the Air Force and another 10 in Federal Service, I >think it will probably at lkeast five years before we see any access to >records we would want for family histories. Besides, most of what they would >have is not historical, but present and that would be protected by the FOIA. > These things CAN NOT and MUST NOT be taken lightly. How would you like for >everything about your work and job history to be made available in public >access. And I mean such things as letters of reprimand, records of minor >infractions, etc. > >Don't push it. > >