The Certificate of Service is a document issued by the National Personnel Records Center when the center is not able to find a copy of a veteran’s DD 214. The certificate of service can only be created by the National Archives if it has enough documentary evidence in its archives to verify military service. This document was developed as a result of the large 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center that destroyed millions of personnel files.  Click on one of the images to get a better look.