Obtaining a Copy of a Veteran's Discharge
Recorded with a County Clerk,
Recorder, or Registrar
Example from Cook County, Illinois


County clerks, recorders, or registrars at the request of a veteran, a veteran's service officer, a person with the veteran's permission, or the surviving heirs of the veteran or their family make copies of veterans' discharge papers for safekeeping and proof of service.

The county can provide a certified copy of the discharge. The countys' copies are considered evidence with the same effect as the original.

My father had the Cook County, Illinois Recorder make a copy of his discharge. I obtained a copy and found it was identical to my father's and did not have the missing unit information.

Information on obtaining copies of Cook County veterans' discharge papers seemed not readily available.

No information on obtaining copies of a veteran's discharge is on the Cook County Veteran's Assistance Commission web site, nor does that web site direct you to the Cook County Recorder who has the copies. The forms required for obtaining a copy are not on the Cook County Recorder's web site.

I made many inquiries by email and phone over several months before I was able to get in touch with the right staff in the right office.

Once I found the right phone number the staff were very helpful.
They confirmed they had a copy of my father's discharge and faxed the necessary forms. They instructed me to include a copy of a photo identification and check for a fee when I returned the forms.

I have posted the forms in an usable format. I hope this assists other family history researchers avoid the delays I encountered.

Cook County, Illinois Recorder of Deeds
Reproductions of  blank forms for printing on letter size 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper.

1 Request for Military Service Discharge Record

Includes the Recorder's address for returning the forms.

A photo I.D. is required. I sent a scanned copy of my drivers license that I converted to grayscale and superimposed "COPY" on it.
2 Military Discharge Search

In January, 2007, I was charged a fee of $1.50. Check for the current fee



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© 2006 Leonard H. Cizewski
Last Modified on March 17, 2007
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