What is an Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF)? An IDPF is a personnel file created by the military services to document the death of a military member & the related actions associated with the disposition of the remains. It is sometimes called “Mortuary File” or “Casualty File.”Importance of these permanent records? Full of genealogical material & information Very useful in family & academic research Can contain surrogate material for military personnel records lost in the 1973 National Personnel Records Center Fire An IDPF is essential for researching the military service of individual veterans who were killed or died in the service. Due to the impact of the 1973 fire at the National Archives many military service records of individual veterans were destroyed. The IDPF can be used as a tool for reconstructing the service history of veterans who were killed in action or died during the service.An IDPF usually contains information on the service of the individual veteran, details about the disposition of the deceased veteran's remains, and correspondence with the family regarding the burial of the veteran and the return of personal items belonging to the soldier. The IDPF is a vital tool for uncovering details about the service history, death and burial of the veteran.