Government Resources

National Personnel Records Office (for U.S. Military personnel):

Members of the 95th BG can contact the Personnel Records Center in St. Louis for information on the service record of a relative or to obtain the P.U.C. award.

Information for contacting the National Personnel Records Office:
National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100

Requests for military records and/or medals/awards must be made in writing. There is a form you can download online by checking out the website: www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/#address

U.S. National Archives

The U.S. National Archives contains extensive documentation on the operation and individuals of the 95th BG. You can go to either the Washington, D.C. or Bethesda, Maryland locations. Check on the National Archives websites to determine the location of the documents you are interested in.

URL for National Archives:www.archives.gov

Air Force Historical Research Agency

The Air Force Historical Research Agency maintains hundreds of thousands of historically significant U.S. Air Force documents representing some 70 million pages of interest to historians, researchers and Air Force buffs. These include unit histories, Missing Air Crew Reports (MACRs), end-of-tour reports, personal papers and more. Many of these documents are now accessible at https://www.afhra.af.mil.

To request a copy of a Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) you must mail a handwritten letter to the address below, specifying the specific MACR number and aircraft number.

Air Force Historical Research Agency/RSA
600 Chennault Circle
Maxwell AFB, AL   36112-6424

Library of Congress Veterans History Project

The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.

URL for Veterans History Project: www.loc.gov/vets/
Request an appointment by e-mailing vohp@loc.gov or calling 1-888-371-5848.
Location: 101 Independence Avenue, S. E., Washington, D. C. 20540-4615

In 2004, the 95th Bomb Group Memorials Foundation donated material relating to the Group to the Veterans History Project, knowing that these invaluable documents, photographs, and oral histories would be held and cared for in perpetuity by the nation’s premier library, and would be available by request to all, including members of Congress, researchers, interested laymen, and family and descendants.

The 95th Bomb Group is one of the few group collections represented in the Veterans History Project since most of the donations have been made by individuals. As such, Library staff view it as extremely important, especially for researchers. The downside is that individuals represented in the 95th’s collection are not indexed and therefore cannot be searched for individually through the Library’s website. Veterans History Project staff are extremely helpful in this regard, but they must have at least 48 hours’ lead time to respond to requests for information about specific individuals.

The 95th Bomb Group Collection is presently housed in 13 manuscript boxes and 3 audio cassette boxes. It represents information on 553 veterans. Included in the collection are 98 audio cassettes recorded at annual reunions and privately by veterans. Many tapes represent more than one veteran. Interviews were conducted singly and jointly, and represent 148 veterans. Transcripts are provided for 84 of the interviews. While most of the interviews were conducted with veterans of the 95th BG, a handful of interviews are of their wives, children, and/or siblings. Additionally, there are memoirs, military papers, photographs, newspaper clippings, and correspondence relating to the Group.

The collection is arranged alphabetically and also holds short and long survey forms filled out by 95th veterans. The long survey comprises 38 questions covering biographical information, service history, and anecdotal stories about service with the 95th BG. The short survey includes contact information and abbreviated service history. The degree to which the surveys were completed varies considerably from veteran to veteran.

• Memoirs in the collection range in length from one page to over 100 pages.

• Military papers included are both original documents and photocopies of orders, medals received, discharge papers, flight and crew records, and mission notes.

• Photographs are primarily contemporary, taken of the veterans during the Bomb Group’s annual reunions, beginning in 1996. Some veterans also included copies of historical photographs that relate to their time in the service.

• Newspaper clippings vary from historical accounts of military service to contemporary portraits of the veterans.

• Correspondence primarily relates to membership in the 95th Bomb Group Association, dues and letters recording the death of members.

You may see the material in person by making an appointment to look at collection material at the Library of Congress in Washington, D. C. A minimum of 48 hours is required to retrieve the material and have it ready for your inspection. You must also request specific material – all 13 manuscript boxes and 3 audio cassette boxes will not be available to you for browsing.

The Library of Congress is housed in one of the most impressive buildings in the city, and always exhibits a selection from its priceless collection. We suggest planning time to see the building and exhibits in addition to looking at the 95th BG materials.

The Veterans History Project continues to accept donations from veterans. You may donate as an individual, in which case you must follow their format (see LOC Web site for details), or you may donate material to the 95th Bomb Group Memorials Foundation for inclusion in our collection at the Library.