DD214

DD214 is the identification number for the United States Department of Defense Certificate of Discharge from Active Duty. Because this document is required for virtually all interaction with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it is often considered by servicemen to be one of the most important personnel documents in the military. The DD214 form contains an official record of a servicemember's service dates, sorted by location, and in what capacity they served. It contains records of all authorized awards, ribbons, medals, ranks and promotions, any combat service or overseas service, and Military Occupational Specialty identifiers.

When is it awarded?

Generally, servicemembers are awarded a DD214 upon completion of their first tour of active duty. National Guardsmen and reservists are awarded a DD214 upon completion of their "Active Duty for Initial Entry Training" period. After completion of any federal activation, they will receive an updated DD214. Their DD214 form will be updated and finalized upon completion of their service. Most DD214's are kept at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis MO. A division of the National Archives, the NPRC has a huge number of records and 5000 requests a day. It often takes months to obtain certified copies from the NPRC so it is important for the Veteran to hold on to their original and only hand out copies to prospective employers etc. Some branches of the military have started retaining the Veterans records because of this. The easiest way to get a copy from the records center is to hire a qualified research company to go and retrieve a copy for you.

Relationship to the DD215

The DD214 may be confused with the DD215 which is used to amend an already issued DD214, and does not require all information to be present. Hence, a DD215 may give a good cross section of a servicemember's record. However any official changes or verification relying on an official record of service will need to consult a DD214.

Often, United States Navy sailors who are getting out of the Navy will refer to their separation as "transferring to USS Backyard (DD-214)", as DD is the ship classification code for destroyers. There was in fact a DD-214, USS Tracy (DD-214) which saw service from 1920 to 1946.