Since my new IPERMS was made from scratch after I joined the NG, how can I get copies of my records from my time on AD?

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 09:11:51 -0400

Served active duty as enlisted from 2008-2012, came back into the Guard in 2018. They made me a new IPERMS from scratch apparently so all my records from my active duty time appear to be missing. In order to pull all my awards from my active duty time over to update my current ORB, I need the paperwork and the DD214 is not enough apparently. Has anyone else had to experience this and if so, what process did you have to go through to retrieve any older records? Maybe a simple signed memo would work but that only worked for a Marine buddy of mine. Can anyone assist?

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Oct 5 at 2022 9:40 AM

SGM Mikel Dawson — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 09:40:31 -0400

Sir, you never kept a personal 201 file for yourself? Every soldier I had under me I stressed the fact you need to CYA. You should be able to access HRC and get into your records that way. As a retired guy, I can get into mine, just the other day I downloaded some of my files.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 5 at 2022 9:48 AM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 09:48:38 -0400

It's not possible to create a second AMHRR in iPERMS for the same person, all of your active duty AMHRR in iPERMS is still there (for 99 years as originally required by Congress). I am guessing that you were enlisted active duty, and got commissioned in the Guard. Once commissioned some records are no longer visible (but still exist) in iPERMS.
You should no longer see NCOERs, AERs from enlisted courses, or your ERB, and probably not your original enlistment DD 1966 and a few other things.

You can still access everything from AD here:
https://www.hrcapps.army.mil/Portal/
click on the Reserve/Retire/Veteran icon, that should be your complete AD record.
Anything missing from your current iPERMS that should be in iPERMS now, like awards, badges and tabs, you can download here and provide to your unit.

Portal - Login

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 5 at 2022 10:49 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:49:56 -0400

I wont be the only one to say this, and others have already done so.

The military is like the DMV with guns.

My first administrative experience in the military was in processing at MEPS when a prior service SGT was in there getting a medical done because the Army lost all his medical history so he had to start a base line from scratch again.

YOU/WE are the custodians of our own career history. Everything in iPerms needs to be your own electronic copy in your own possession on your own electronic media (flash drive, hard drive, whatever) and not floating around out there in some Cloud. Hell, even make a hard copy in a binder.

I'm still not in the system as having completed Captains Career Course. Ft. Lee school house and Logistics is horrible at that. I also didn't know I was pegged in the system as NOT BRANCH QUALIFIED until I was Company Commander looking at my own UMR and unit readiness metrics. I had to ask the question of why am I RED for deployment. Again, the school house didn't input the data in the system correctly.

Once you get this sorted out remember that going forward. The important thing is your retirement points, service time, when and where you served as associated with any VA benefits and then after that the "Stolen Valor" stuff as it pertains to awards you have earned.

A DD214 is not the source record for many things pertaining to our careers. It can be changed on the whims of the Admin processing it. Meaning, a point and click is all that is needed to change/update many things (and without documentation).

************
Personal rant..............

For those who know what they are doing, the administrative discontinuity in the military personal record system leaves open a huge opportunity to defraud the system. With situations mentioned like here and individual soldiers having to be the source record for their service it wouldn't be that hard to just make crap up out of the blue so long as the fraudulent document is in the correct format. There are limits however, and as long as there isn't another source of records to audit against service members could get away with a lot.

For example, saying one is Special Forces, or has any sort of award with VALOR associated with it is probably not a good idea. Those are going to have active sources of records of folks interested in keeping it up to par.

However, as mentioned that on a DD214 the only thing keeping it correct is a key stroke from the out processing Admin I could see a C-Note or a Box of Donuts throw in an extra AAM or ARCOM or Weapon Qualification Badge.

Every time one changes units, the system of record history seems to have an opportunity for errors to enter the process. The bigger the change, leave the service and come back, change service components, commission from enlisted the bigger the problems.

Response by SFC Kelly Fuerhoff made Oct 5 at 2022 11:51 AM

SFC Kelly Fuerhoff — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 11:51:57 -0400

This is why people need to keep their own copies of everything. If it's not on iPERMS and your old unit doesn't have it (although they're supposed to keep personnel files for 2 years after someone leaves the unit), and you don't have copies - you're likely not going to find them.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 5 at 2022 10:25 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 22:25:39 -0400

I was also in the NC Guard after my time in the regular Army. I would question if you were in the Army or the Marines. If you were in the Marines it might have to do with your transition. You need to do a records requests from HRC. The transition to the Guard can be rough and now that IPPS-A is not really up and running yet it could be an automation thing. I highly recommend you keep your own copies of everything. I do keep any papers but I scan everything and save to my google drive. In my nearly 20 years it has came in handy. I can email any military document in a few minutes if needed.