How to Locate an Ex-Armed Forces Person
Locating an ex-member of the United States Armed Forces begins with the Internet. The U.S. Armed Forces is a massive institution. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more 2.4 million people served in the Armed Forces in 2009. Luckily, the abundant resources available online make finding ex-Army personnel you have lost touch with much easier than in the days when search resources were limited to the telephone and the post office.
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Instructions
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Step 1: Searching Military Personnel Records
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The U.S. Army keeps records of all former personnel at the National Archives. To locate U.S. Army veterans, start your search online. Visit the National Archives website, which keeps files on all former U.S. military personnel, including their mailing address at the time they left the Army. This site will give you instructions about how to file a request for information on ex-soldiers.
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To request information about ex-Army personnel, you can send a letter or fill out a form online. When requesting information on ex-Army personnel, the National Archives has different forms to fill out, depending on whether you are family of the person you are trying to find, or just a friend or acquaintance. Family members make their request through the vetrecs.archives.gov link. If you are not related to the person you are looking for, you will be required to fill out a Standard Form 180 (SF 180). The turn-around for information requests is estimated to be between three to four weeks.
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A number of websites keep databases of information about U.S. Army veterans. If you prefer to send a letter to request information, you must include the following information:
Veteran's full name
Service Number or Social Security Number
Branch of Service
Dates of Service
Date and Place of Birth
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Unfortunately, the National Personnel Records Center does not update its records. Therefore, the only contact information they will have on file will be the address of former personnel recorded when they first left the Army. If that address proves to be out of date, you can search websites that keep databases of information about former Army personnel. Sites you can try include gulfweb.org, desert-storm.com and military.com.
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References
- Photo Credit bouton d'uniforme us army image by Bernard BAILLY from Fotolia.com army truck image by Tomasz Pawlowski from Fotolia.com Envelope for the letter image by Cosmic from Fotolia.com military necklace image by Yulaki Khvenchuk from Fotolia.com
