The DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, generally referred to as a "DD 214", is a document of the United States Department of Defense, issued upon a military service member's retirement, separation, or discharge from active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States (i.e., U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Coast Guard). History and usage The first DD Form 214s were issued in 1950, replacing the older "WD AGO" (War Department Adjutant General's Office) Forms and the NAVPERS (Naval Personnel) discharge documents. These documents had existed since 1941. In earlier versions of the form (1 November 1972) it was called a "Report of Separation from Active Duty"; the current title dates from 1 July 1979. DD Form 214 is the capstone documentation of completed military service, representing the complete, verified record of a service member's time in the military (Active, including Reservists on active assignments). Among the most important details is the character of service (Honorable, Dishonorable, General Under Honorable Conditions, etc.), which greatly affects veteran benefits and can have long-term reputational impact. Other important data includes the servicemember's awards and medals, highest rank/rate and pay grade held on active duty, lengths of service (including total time, sea time, overseas service, and prior service periods), job specialty, and a record of training and schools completed. Job specialty documents primary and secondary qualifications, such as Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC), Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC), Navy officer designator, Navy Officer Billet Code (NOBC), and Navy Additional Qualification Designation (AQD). Individuals who served exclusively in the Air National Guard or Army National Guard (with no periods activated to regular service components) do not receive a DD Form 214, but will receive a form called NGB-22 from the National Guard Bureau. The DD Form 214 is commonly used by various government agencies, chief among them the Department of Veterans Affairs, to evaluate eligibility for veteran benefits, and it may be requested by employers (to evaluate experience, skills, and character, as well as to verify eligibility for preferential hiring where applicable). This document also contains codes used by the Armed Forces to describe a former servicemember's reason for discharge and, in the case of enlisted personnel, their reenlistment eligibility. These codes are known as Separation Designator/Separation Justification (abbreviated as SPD/SJC) Codes and Reenlistment Eligibility (RE) Codes,