Release No. 09-16-04 Sept. 23, 2004 Rumor hinders NPRC ability to perform job A false rumor circulating on the Internet, in e-mails, and among veteran service organizations is causing problems at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) where military records are stored.The rumor that Official Military Personnel Files at the NPRC will be digitized and then destroyed is simply not true.  Every minute taken to squelch a rumor is a minute taken away from the primary job.  Neither the Department of Defense nor the NPRC intend to destroy any official files stored at the Center, according to officials of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the agency under which NPRC falls.  The purpose of any electronic scanning would be to help preserve the originals and increase efficiency in handling reference requests. NARA preserves and protects records that were transferred from the military service departments because they are permanently valuable records that document the essential evidence of military service for the veterans of our nation.  NPRC stores and services official records for retired, discharged, or deceased military personnel. NPRC responds to approximately 4,000 requests pertaining to military records each day, totaling more than 1 million requests each year.  Many of those requests are for Separation Documents (usually DD Form 214) and the Center answers the majority of those inquiries in 10 days or less.  Officials point out that requests resulting from this false rumor will have a negative impact on NPRC's ability to respond to requests from veterans with real immediate needs, such as medical treatment, employment, retirement, etc.  =========================================== SUPPORT OUR TROOPS---FLY THE FLAG "Genealogy is like playing hide and seek. They hide I seek!!! www.byrge.com/genealogy/ Searching: BYRGE/BUNCH/DAUGHERTY/DUNCAN/KENNEDY/ PATTERSON/PHILLIPS/SEIBER/TACKETT/WARD