I would like to pick the brains of the TimeGhost community. I have been trying to see if there could be a record of my grandfather’s US Army WW2 records. The National Archives does not have a copy as it was destroyed in a fire in the 1970s. I have contacted his county of residence to see if they have a copy. They REFUSE to even look for it until they have had the record eighty years! My grandfather didn’t even live eighty years! I have reached out to where he enlisted but they are sending me to the National Archives. No one in the family has a copy (started there first) so I feel at a loss. Shouldn’t those records be accessible for research purposes if the county has a copy? I know when he enlisted and when he was discharged but nothing else. He would never talk about his time and I only know that he was in France and Germany. Does anyone have any suggestions for another resource I could look into?
Sorry for rant. I am a curious person have a strong drive to know more about my grandfather’s military record.
My knowledge is limited at best but here are some things that would be helpful in searching for him
It would be helpful if you knew his rank and unit he was in. Where did he live prior to enlistment? Do you have any information at all on his service record even the tiniest detail could be helpful?
For information like this, you might find the genealogy community a help, as this is the sort of thing many individual genealogists run into while trying to research a family tree.
The only thing I know is that he was a private. The only information I have is his registration card. 
That is where I found his Army registration card. 
This is probably due to the state’s public records laws.
However, if he did file his military service record with the county (which I think is fairly rare), he probably did so shortly after being discharged so based on what you said you would only need to wait a few more years.
If your local newspapers from the 1940s is available in a searchable database I recommend checking there. Servicemen were often mentioned, within the limits of wartime censorship. More details might also be offered upon the individual’s return from service, especially if the local community held some kind of veterans’ homecoming event.
Also check with your county’s historical society.