Military service records are considered
public information in the U.S. However, the Department of Defense now requires
that you submit a signed written request to access military personnel records.
Occasionally, if you meet resistance or foot-dragging, you may need to make a
formal Freedom of Information (FOI)
request or perhaps to speak to the FOI officer at the base where the individual
is stationed.
If your goal is not to access personnel
records but simply to verify that someone is or has been a member of the armed
services, or to locate someone in the military, your task is easier. One source
of this type of basic information on active duty personnel is GIsearch.com.
For vets, visit the site of the National
Personnel Records Center in St. Louis.
You should also be aware that each
branch of the service has a military locator service in the Pentagon in Arlington
VA. A little-known
source is county courthouse records, specifically
the miscellaneous personal records, or "MPR's." Ask the courthouse clerk to assist
you in finding military discharge forms, or DD-214's. These provide the complete
military history of veterans, but are available today only for older veterans
(those who served before 1980).
Other web sites which can prove useful
in researching veterans:
The
US Army
The US
Air Force
The
US Navy
The
US Marine Corps
The
US Coast Guard |