Before writing or calling any facility, try to put as much information down on paper that might assist the archivists in locating the records you are interested in. It may seem obvious, but attempt to provide full name with middle initial, rank, branch of service, dates of service, units served in, etc. The archivists can work miracles, but every additional data point you can provide makes their job that much easier - and the chances of obtaining the results you want that much greater. The U.S. Total Army Personnel Command handles these requests. The source for unit information and for purchasing microfilm records.
Requests can take between one month to four months for a reply.
Orders for microfilm normally just take a month to fill. There is no guarantee that this will work, but it's a good resource. The VA will then try and forward the letter to that person, and it is up them to respond. Read more about it here . Try our people locator guide .