UPDATE ON DD-214 LEGISLATION
(Please be aware this post was written in 2003 and published at that time in the Houston Chronicle (Houston, Texas) newspaper. Some of the news in this post, therefore, may not be current. Current and future posts on this blog may revisit and update news on this and other posts on this blog. If you have questions and/or suggestions, please send Mic a note using the comment page -Don’t forget to use the orange “subscribe” button to receive new posts-Thanks, Mic)
Last week this column reported there were eight bills concerning DD-214s and military discharges pending in the Texas Legislature. These records are used by veterans and their families to prove military service and eligibility for veterans benefits. Currently they are considered open records and are maintained in the office of each county clerk in Texas.
While there has been no law requiring discharges be filed with county clerks it has been a common practice since at least World War I. Returning and retiring military personnel have been urged by each of the services to file their discharges with county clerks. Until Now.
In January 2002 an article, DD-214 Scams Target Veterans For Identity Theft, written by Staff Sgt. Marcia Triggs of the Army News Service reported the actions of an unscrupulous attorney that allegedly downloaded several thousand social security numbers from DD-214s from an internal courthouse computer system which he sold to credit thieves. The article was republished throughout the military community’s media resulting in an understandable near hysteria among retirees and veterans organizations.
The military services reacted swiftly to the concerns caused by the article and its follow-up articles by not publishing social security numbers on newly issued DD-214 certificates. They also suggest their members not file their DD-214 military discharges with county clerks. Now, Texas veterans and their organizations are justly asking the Texas Legislature to protect them from credit thieves.
Historically social security numbers replaced military service numbers on DD-214s beginning about 1968. They were used until the services ceased using them in early 2002 due to the current crisis. Thus military discharges and DD-214s issued prior to 1968 do not contain social security numbers.
A devastating fire in July 1973 at the Military Personnel Records Center in Saint Louis, Missouri destroyed between 16 and 18 million military personnel 201 files. As a result of the fire 80% of the Army’s military personnel 201 files dating from 1912 to 1960 and 75% of the Air Force military personnel files dating between 1947 and 1964 were destroyed. To make matters worse, the files were not microfilmed, there were no duplicate files nor was there a master index to the files.
An alternate source used by family historians and other researchers to locate information on the military service of a relative or citizen of the community is the DD-214s and military discharges maintained in the county clerk’s office.
The dilemma for legislators is is there a reason to restrict access to DD-214s? Heavy pressure from veterans organizations to close the records is being applied to legislators to do so. However, since older DD-214s do not contain social security numbers and most of the military personnel files no longer exist it is hoped any legislation if passed would place restrictions only on those DD-214s containing social security numbers.
For up to date information on DD-214 and other pending legislation and how to contact Texas legislators, visit http://hgftx.org/legislation .
FAMILY TREE MAKER SOFTWARE CLASS
Paula Perkins Parke will lead an Organizing Your Family Research With Family Tree Maker Software class from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday February 19. This one-time four hour class will be held at Houston Community College’s 1681 Cartwright campus in Missouri City.
For more information and to register, contact HCC at 281-835-5539. Please note pre-registration is required.
GENEALOGY CLASS IN PASADENA
The South Main Baptist Church Genealogy Group will host an all day Genealogy Class taught by Carolyn Hellen on Saturday February 22.
The class will be held at the South Main Baptist Church, 4300 Beltway 8 in Pasadena. Due to limited seating pre-registration is requested.
To register and for more information contact Mary Anne Clingan by telephone at 281-487-2197 and by E-mail at: clingan@hal-pc.org
SURFING THE INTERNET
Mic Barnette will lead a Surfing the Internet for Genealogy class at Houston Community College’s 1681 Cartwright campus in Missouri City. This one session class is a live three hour virtual tour of some of the most helpful and notable genealogical websites on the Internet. The class will be held Thursday February 27 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
For more information and to register, contact HCC at 281-835-5539. Please note, pre-registration is required.
