ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., Dec. 6, 2021 — The St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller announced today a new virtual exhibit showcasing St. Johns County residents who responded to the Pearl Harbor attacks, in observance of its 80th anniversary.

“St. Johns County residents responded to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor like millions of other Americans — by lining up to enlist and joining the fight,” said St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Brandon J. Patty. “We are thrilled to share some of their stories of service through their discharge papers with this virtual exhibit.”

The “Greatest Generation” exhibit features a few of the thousands of discharge documents recorded with the Clerk’s office. Since late 1919, a year after the end of World War I, the St. Johns County Clerk of Courts has recorded military discharge papers.

Clerk Historian Dr. Susan Parker assembled county records, including World War II discharge documents and newspapers, for the online exhibit showcasing the men and women of St. Johns County who served during that period, including:

• A farmer from Hastings, who enlisted soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor and served the entire war,
• A 39-year-old baker and cook who was discharged after four months so he could return to the civilian workforce in an essential industry,
• A woman who served as a message center chief in the Philippines and New Guinea and returned home to work as a telegraph editor for the St. Augustine Record,
• A teacher of the hearing-impaired at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine, who served on the anti-submarine patrol protecting the shores of the Americas.

The “Greatest Generation” exhibit can be found online at stjohnsclerk.com/pearl-harbor-veterans.

The Clerk’s office encourages the county’s 20,000-plus veterans to record their discharge documents with its Recording Department, securely and free of charge.

By recording your discharge document — these days called a DD Form 214 — you are filing it for safekeeping and easy future access. Military discharge records are protected for privacy and do not become public record for 62 years after separation, per the National Archives.

Original DD 214s can be filed at no cost with the clerk’s Recording Department, located in the Richard O. Watson Judiciary Complex, 4010 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine. The document will be digitally recorded onsite and returned to you immediately.

For additional information or assistance about recording your DD 214 with the St. Johns County Clerk of Courts, call 904-819-3632.