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Inquiries and Visitor Policy
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Inquiries to the Center of Military History:

Before you contact the Center of Military History regarding a historical inquiry, please follow these simple procedures in order to expedite your research:

  1. Review the entire Master List of Army Records to see where the information you are looking for is held.
  2. If you think the document is held by CMH, go into the research tools area and see if it is listed in one of the finding aids we have posted.
  3. Check the Army History Frequently Asked Questions Page to see if we have posted an answer to your question.
  4. Check the Online Bookshelves area of the site to see if you can glean the information from some of the reference materials we have posted.
  5. If you are trying to locate a living veteran, or a Veterans' group, please contact the Department of Veteran's Affairs.

After following this procedure, first speak to a local reference librarian for assistance. Many of the most basic questions about the U.S. Army can be answered with standard reference materials or by requesting specialized literature through interlibrary loan. Local libraries are one of our nation's most valuable resources and should be the first stop for anyone interested in pursuing research in military history.

If you still require assistance:

The CMH inquiries team is not staffed to conduct extensive research but will attempt to answer questions. In cases where information is not readily available in our holdings we may direct researchers to other possible sources of information. Before sending an email to the address below, please be advised of the following:

  1. RESPONSE TIME: Due to current budgetary constraints, our ability to answer the many questions we receive has been curtailed. For that reason, we must prioritize our responses. Inquiries from Army units and commands, DoD organizations, and other government agencies will be answered first; all others will be addressed as time and resources permit. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope the current situation will be temporary.
  2. CONGRESSIONAL INQUIRIES: If you are inquiring from the office of a member of Congress, please direct your question to the Office of Congressional Legislative Liaison (OCLL) rather than directly to the US Army Center of Military History. Thank you.
  3. MEDAL OF HONOR: Medal of Honor entries are posted as a courtesy to our users.  CMH is not responsible for the factual content of the citations (see our posting policies), but if you have questions the Congressional Medal of Honor Society may be able to assist.  Other points of contact provided at http://valor.defense.gov/.  CMH does not maintain individual award recommendations and backing materials.  Please do not contact CMH ANSWERS regarding MOH issues unless reporting an obvious typo or broken link in the posted citations.
  4. LINEAGE AND HONORS INFORMATION: Preparation of lineage and honors certificates (and posting of such information to CMH Online) IS NOT AUTOMATIC. Commanders of currently active MTOE units can submit a request to CMH on unit letterhead for the preparation of a new lineage and honors certificate. Requests should include a return mailing address and point of contact. Only after the certificate has been prepared will the lineage information be posted to CMH Online. Lineage information for inactive units will not be posted to CMH Online. Lineage information posted to CMH Online will not be updated to reflect changes in unit status (such as an inactivation) or honors until a new certificate has been prepared at the request of the unit commander. Please see the policies and restrictions regarding posted lineage information.

Visitor Policy:

The U.S. Army Center of Military History is a secured facility with controlled access. All researchers must request an appointment at least a week in advance when visiting CMH. Appointments can be made through the email address below.

The U.S. Army Center of Military History is located on Fort Lesley J. McNair, a secure military reservation. Visitors are advised to review the access instructions on the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall website. Visitors to CMH Museum Support Center at Fort Belvoir should review the access instructions on the Fort Belvoir website. Access controls for these installations may be subject to change without notice.


After reviewing the information above, if you still have questions pertaining to the history of the Army or comments concerning the operation of this website and its online resources, contact us at: Email CMH Inquiries

alert WARNING ABOUT ATTACHMENTS: Please do not send any attachments. Emails with attachments may be deleted without being read.

alert ADVERTISEMENTS AND SOLICITATIONS: Please do not send advertisements or solicitations to this email address. All emails which may contain advertisements or solicitations will be deleted without being read.


U.S. Army Center of Military History
102 4th Avenue, Building 35
Fort McNair, DC 20319-5060