Note that registering a copy at the county court house may make that document a public record. Separation Documents issued after 1969 may contain a Social Security Number which could be used for identity theft. Storing the Separation Document in a safe deposit box may make it difficult to retrieve immediately upon the death of the retiree or honorably discharged veteran. The better storage locations are:

1-Fire safe in a secure location of the house (not in the bedroom, as this
is where most thieves search first). Be sure spouse/NOK knows the location
and has key/combination.

2-In a watertight fo od container (Glad, Tupperware. etc.) in the
refrigerator. Most refrigerators are fire resistant. Additionally, a
refrigerator is heavy enough to fall through the floor of a building into
the cooler part of the fire in the basement and better survive. Finally, a
refrigerator is large enough to be easily located in the ash and ruble of a
fire or other serious incident. (As a bonus, everyone has a refrigerator,
not everyone has a fire resistant storage box). Be sure to inform your
spouse and relatives where to locate your Separation Document – and any
other important papers.

As a reminder, the preferred method of submitting a request to the National
Personnel Records Center (NPRC) is via the Internet. Please note that in
some cases using a browser other than Internet Explorer may create problems
with data entry. As you know, the NPRC provides copies of documents from
military personnel records to authorized requesters. Our web-based
application will provide better service on these requests by eliminating our
mailroom processing time. Also, since the requester will be prompted to
supply all information essential for us to process the request, delays that
occur when we must go back for more information will be minimized. You may
access this application at:

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/

This improved on-line request process should be used INSTEAD OF
Standard Form 180 for requests from the veteran or the veteran’s next of
kin, if possible. Your assistance with this initiative will allow us, and
you, to better serve the needs of our veterans. If you do not wish to use
the Internet, you should use Standard Form 180. You should pr int Standard
Form 180 as you need it, not in advance because the form is periodically
revised and updated. It should not be available on your web site. You can
have a link to the NPRC web page.

The link is:

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/standard-form-
180.html

Since the Standard Form 180 is updated periodically, it is NOT recommended
that large quantities be printed/photocopied and stocked.

The form will be updated with the new address within six months. The US
Postal Service will forward mail if requests are mailed to the old location
until February 2012.