Access to Military Records by the General Public, including genealogists who are not next-of-kin

Limited information from The Polk County Recorder's Office is releasable to the general public without the consent of the veteran or the next-of-kin.  You are considered a member of the general public if you are asking about a veteran who is no relation to you, or a veteran who is a relative but you are not the next-of-kin.  Next-of-kin is defined as the unremarried widow or widower, son or daughter, father or mother, brother or sister of the deceased veteran.

The type of information releasable is intended to strike a balance between the public's right to obtain information from Federal records, as outlined in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and the veteran's right to privacy as defined by the Privacy Act.  Information will not be released if requested for unethical purposes.

The type of information releasable to the general public is dependent upon the veteran's authorization.

With the veteran's authorization.

The veteran (or next-of-kin if the veteran is deceased) must authorize release of information which is not available to the public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).  (In some cases the veteran may already possess military documents that contain the information you are seeking.)  The authorization must 1) be in writing; 2) specify what additional information or copies that NPRC (MPR) may release to you; and 3) include the signature of the veteran or next-of-kin.  (A sample authorization is included for your review.)

Without the veteran's authorization.

Limited amounts of information can be released from a record to a member of the general public.  This is the information available under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.