Lost to History: Missing War Records Complicate Benefit Claims by Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans

A strange thing happened when Christopher DeLara filed for disability benefits after his tour in Iraq: The U.S. Army said it had no records showing he had ever been overseas. PubNotes: Over the last decade, dozens of military units deployed in the war on terror have destroyed or failed to keep field reports of their activities, a loss of important historical records that can also make it harder for veterans to prove they qualify for  medals or disability benefits. Our reporting found a few reasons behind the problem: System failure: In a string of critical reports, historians said Army units were losing their own history by failing to keep adequate field records. The U.S. military began relying on computer records during the Gulf War, introducing major gaps in recordkeeping as the old-style paper system fell apart. The Army then introduced a centralized system for collecting electronic field reports, but units have failed to submit records there. Security concerns: Some military commanders ordered units to purge computer hard drives before redeploying to the United States, destroying any classified field records they contained. Leadership: Disagreements among military officials have also led to lack of coordination in record-keeping. “The Army would say it’s Centcom’s responsibility… Centcom would say it’s an Army responsibility,” said one Archivist. Recordkeeping took a backseat to wartime demands: “Something just had to fall off the plate, there was so much going on,” a former Centcom records manager said.

Read more: Propublica, November 9, 2012