Looking for Former Service Members, Family and Friends

Part 1.The Government

Part 2. Civilian Resources

1. The Government

Our government is a keeper of things especially information about it’s citizens. If you are looking for someone who best to go to than the government. As follows is a guide on how to locate veterans of the armed forces and former members of the reserve and national guard utilizing the resources of the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Personnel Records Center, Welfare organizations, military reunion groups and private service connected organizations. It is by no means complete. The real key is perseverance. Between these organizations and utilizing the Internet and your local library you can find just about anyone you want to find, In addition to the government there are many places on the Internet and in libraries that can help. Read through this entire page. Then set down your plan to find that person.

Department of Veterans Affairs 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (formerly the Veterans Administration) is very cooperative in providing assistance in locating veterans. The VA does not have addresses of all veterans listed in their files. It lists addresses only of those individuals who have at some time applied for VA benefits such as educational assistance, medical care, disability compensation, pensions, home loans, and VA insurance. The address in their files is the address given when the veteran last obtained or applied for VA benefits.  

Since 1974 the VA has the name and SSAN of all individuals who are discharged from all branches of the armed forces, but do not have an address unless the individual makes a claim. The VA will forward a letter in a similar manner as the armed forces. Before attempting to have a letter forwarded, it is recommended that you first call the VA. By dialing (800) 827-1000, you will automatically be connected with the VA Regional Office closest to you. They will not give you an address over the phone, but explain to the VA counselor that you wish to verify that a veteran is listed in their files and that they have a current address before you mail any correspondence to be forwarded. Give the individual’s full name and service number, social security number or VA file or claim number, if known.


If you do not have this information the VA can sometimes identify veterans with either their date of birth, city and state that the person entered the service, branch of service, middle name or possibly the name alone, if the person has a unique name. If the individual is listed in the files, ask for their VA claim number. If the Regional Office cannot find the individual in their file, then contact the:

VA Insurance Office  
Department of Veterans Affairs 
190 Box 8079 ‘ Philadelphia, PA 19101 

Their telephone is (800) 669-8477 

For veterans who have been separated for less than five years, contact:  

Servicemen Group Life Insurance 
213 Washington Street Newark
NJ 07102-2999

(800) 419-1473 (201) 802-7676 (from overseas call collect)  These offices have insurance information in their files that is not readily available in the regional office files. 

To forward a letter, just place your correspondence in an unsealed, stamped envelope without your return address. Put the veterans name and VA claim number on the front of the envelope. Next prepare a short fact sheet and state that you request that the VA forward this letter to the veteran. Tell them you were given the VA claim number by their Regional Office. Also include all other pertinent information to ensure they can identify the vet. Include as much information as you can name, service number, SSAN, date of birth, city and state where he or she joined or was drafted, etc. Next, you place this letter and the fact sheet in a larger envelope and mail to the VA Regional Office you spoke with or where that office instructed you to send it. If they cannot identify the individual, they will return your letter to you. They will also inform you if the letter is undeliverable by the Post Office. If the letter reaches the addressee you will only find out if they contact you. So make sure in your letter that you have ways for the vet to contact you, telephone, address, your real email address and again as in all our info packs we caution you to use your real email address instead of one of the free ones because of the failure rate. If you have gone to all this to contact the person don't mess it up by giving an address that has a chance of not working.

You may contact any VA Regional Office by dialing (800) 827-1000. You will be automatically connected with the VA Regional Office closest to you. You may also contact the appropriate VA Regional Office by using the directory at the end of this chapter. The local numbers are being phased out in the near future. If there is no number listed, you can only contact that office using the 800 number. 

Obtaining Information from the VA by Telephone  There is a great deal of identifying information you may be able to obtain from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) over the telephone. Call any VA Regional Office and tell them you want to forward a letter to a veteran if they have his address on file (even if this is not your intent). Explain that there is no reason for you to send the letter if they do not have an address. Ask if they can identify the veteran from the information you have.  If the VA Regional Office can identify the veteran, you may be able to obtain some of the following information: service number but not SSAN, date of birth, VA claim number, if the veteran went to college on the GI bill, the name of the college he attended and the dates attended.

The VA is required to tell you the location of the veteran’s file, whether it is in a Regional Office or in a records holding area.  

If the address is not over three or four years old, -. the veteran is probably living within 300 mikes of the VA Regional Office where the file is located. Check with telephone information operators in cities within this radius. If you do a computer surname search with the Nationwide Locator against the National Telephone Directory file, you will most likely get a current address. If you are able to obtain a date of birth, then you can do a driver license- or date of birth computer search.  With the veterans service number, you may be able to obtain a copy of the military records under the Freedom of Information Act. The record has the veteran’s date of birth, place of entry and separation from the service and other valuable information. With either a service number or a date of birth, you can in some cases obtain a Social Security number. The method is below but it only works on cases after April 1973.

If the VA counselor you are dealing with is not cooperative and tells you they cannot give any information because of the Privacy Act, then discontinue your conversation. Call again and you will likely get another counselor who may be more helpful. Be persistent and courteous and you will eventually obtain identifying information that will enable you to find the person you are seeking. Obtaining a Veteran’s SSAN through the VA You may be able to obtain a SSAN for a veteran if the veteran applied for benefits after April 1973 and the veteran’s name, service number or date of birth is provided. Send a check in the amount of two dollars payable to Department of Veterans Affairs to the address below State in your letter that you want the veteran’s VA Claim number (do not ask for the veterans- SSAN). If the number returned is nine digits then it is a SSAN. Mail your request to:

VA Records Processing Center
PO Box 5020 
St. Louis, MO 63115 .

Mailings from a Roster, Muster Roll or List The VA Records Processing Center (RPC) is located St. Louis, Missouri. Do not confuse this office with the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC)  which is also located in St. Louis.

The RPC is responsible for research of large groups of veterans. This research will enable people to forward letters for military re-union notifications or to secure statements to substantiate (prove) VA disability claims. RPC can do research from copies of unit rosters, ships muster rolls and compiled lists that contain names and service-vice numbers. Anyone may use this service whether or not they are a veteran. Remember this can at times and based upon what is requested cost so be prepared to pay for some of the research and find out before what it may cost.

There are two ways to obtain information from the VA Records Processing Center. First, you can obtain a list of veteran’s names and service numbers. You may also submit any of the following if you do not have a service number to help identify the veteran:

Include a check or money order for $2.00 for each name to be researched, payable to the Department of Veterans Affairs (personal checks are acceptable). The center will research the names and provide the following information: VA file or claim number , VA folder location (VA Regional Office), if the veteran is deceased and date of death, if known. If the VA does not have a record, they will notify you of this. (Probably the veteran has never-applied for VA benefits). That they cannot identify the veteran from the information provided. The information will be returned to you along with instructions on how to have letters forwarded to the veterans. Submit the letters with the VA claim number and name on an unsealed envelope, use sufficient postage to cover mailing costs and do not use return address. Letters involving debt collections will not be forwarded. 

The VA cannot assure that the veteran will either receive or respond to this correspondence. If the letter is returned to the VA by the Post Office as undeliverable. The inquirer will be notified approximately five weeks after the letter is mailed. The VA file number is sometimes referred to as the VA claim number and, in some cases, may be the same as the veteran’s Social Security number. Since June 1974, the VA has used Social Security numbers as VA Claim numbers. Claim numbers in this category will have the letter ‘’C’’ (XC if deceased) followed by the nine digit SSAN without any dashes or spaces.] The second way to use this center s service is to send the letters, names and payments together the center will do the necessary research and forward the letters. This process usually takes up to two reeks to complete; however, in peak periods it may take four to six reeks. However if this is important plan for eight weeks and then if a date for a reunion is involved no one will be disappointed who gets the notice.

Send rosters and payment or rosters, letters and payment to: VA Records Processing Center, same address as above. Their telephone number is (314) 263-2597 

The National Personnel Records Center 

The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) will forward correspondence to a veteran’s last ‘ known address which is usually the one given when the individual separated from active duty or when a reserve commitment was completed. This is done only in limited situations which include: 

A search fee of $3.50 is applicable only when the forwarding of correspondence is not in the veteran’s interest, e.g., debt collection. Make checks payable to ‘’Treasurer of the U.S ‘’ The NPRC will place the letter to be forwarded in another envelope and will add the individual’s name and last known address. In the event the letter is not delivered, it will be returned to the NPRC and  you will not be informed. 

If a person writes to the NPRC for assistance in locating a veteran and the reason does not fall into any of the above categories, the writer will be informed to contact the nearest VA Regional Office (for requests of fewer than five names) or the VA Records Processing Center (for requests of five or more names). Requests should have the same, SSAN, service number or VA claim number. See preceding sections for details.

The National Personnel Records Center
(Branch of Service)
9700 Page Blvd. 
St. Louis, MO 63132

In July 1973 a fire at the NPRC destroyed about 80% of the records for army personnel discharged between November 1, 1912 and January 1, 1960. About 75% of the records for Air Force personnel with surnames from Hubbard through ‘’Z’’ who were discharged between September 1947 and January 1, 1964 were also destroyed. Some alternative information may be obtained from records of the state Adjutants General and state Veterans Service offices. There are currently over 50 million military records at the NPRC. 

Locating Former Members of the U.S. Coast Guard the Coast Guard will forward letters to veterans of the Coast Guard at their last known 1 address. There is a $3.50 fee. Send letters to:

Commandant
2100 2nd Street
S.W Washington, DC 20593-0001

The telephone number is (202) 267-1340, Fax (202) 267-4985 For Internet users.

Try http://search.veterans.org to find other web sites that assist in finding other vets. There are several listed and come up using the words "lost buddies." Also try any of the major search engines and just type in the persons name. It is amazing how many people have been found that way. As they say everyone has their 15 minutes of fame and it just may be recorded and on the Internet.

Selective Service Records : The classification records of men who were registered- for the draft under the Selective Service Act and information from ledger books are available to the public. These classification records list name, date of birth, draft classification, date to report for induction and in some cases date of separation. Records were maintained from 1940 to 1975. These records are maintained at various federal record centers (by state and county). A11 requests for information must be made through: 

National Headquarters Selective Service System
1550 Wilson Blvd. Suite 400
Arlington, VA 22209-2426 

Telephone is (703) 235-2555, Fax (703) 235-2212. If you need to use this use it now. Congress has cut the funding for this organization to the bare minimum and this is done as an extra service when they have time. There is a chance that be now they have attached a fee to this in order to keep this section going so don't be surprised if they return your request asking for money or you receive a bill after they have done this. $3.00 to $5.00 a name has been suggested and a discount for large numbers.

The US Military

All armed services will forward a letter to an active duty service member for a fee of usually $3.00. See their web pages for complete details:

Social Security Administration

If you have a person social security number the SSA will forward a letter for you for $3.00. Send the letter you want sent with the person name and social security number and a check or money order for $3.00 to:

Social Security Administration

O C R O

Division of Certification and Coverage

Baltimore, Md. 21201

2. Outside of the Government Civilian Resources

There are plenty of resources outside of the government that can help. As follows are some we have found helpful and you should try besides the government channels.

Find It

Find it at Vets.Com has a long list of various resources available on the Internet. That page is included with this guide. Go through it item by item and see what they can do for you.

Vets.Com

For the last three years we have been helping people find people. As follows are some suggestions that have helped. One of the key words is advertise. Any place you find where you can leave an ad do it. No matter how obscure it just might be the place that person looks or someone who knows that person. Pay attention to if you know the person well enough to know their hobbies or interests. Check through those web sites. Most sites have guests books comb through them for that person leaving a entry. Also on your entry make mention of who you are looking for.

Try a telephone search at http://www.procd.com they have all of the listed telephone numbers in the US with addresses. This has been very successful for many people. Also try their competitors.

Try http://www.loc.gov - The Library of Congress it has tons of information especially if you take the time to learn how to use their gopher system LOCIS. They have also just turned this into a HTML search engine which makes it easier for those not familiar with using the "gopher" method and Telnet. You cannot search with quite the depth but it is still very efficient. For those on a real dedicated search or doing research projects it is highly advisable to learn how "gopher" works as many large university systems allow you to search them only with gopher. Plus try your own local library. Even the smallest public library has untold resources. Also if they don't have something right then and there they can through inter-library loans get almost any reference work in the world. For postage and a bit of time any small town library has the same resources as the Library of Congress.

Try other veteran sites. Use Vets Search (http://vets.com /search ) or Veterans news and Information Service (http://vnis.com) also has extensive links to assist you in finding people.

Try http://www.the-seeker.com and put in an ad there. This is a very high use site with a lot of exposure. The lady who runs it also is very pro veteran and if you are having problems send her an email I'm sure you will get the help you need.

The key to finding anyone is persistence and time. Also to not just look in the original area for the person. Older people tend to retire if they can in good climates so don't rule out Florida, Arizona, California and other places with warm climates and recreational facilities. So it is a case of try, try and try again and then try again.

To the VA 

 

Places to help you find that friend or family member

The secret to finding anyone is perseverance, nothing else. There are no magic sites that list everyone and for the most part there are no companies that can do more than you can if you want to invest the time and effort. We have put together links that can assist you. Regardless of how far out sometimes some site may seem it may be the one with the key. So try all of them and at many of these sites are other places you can go that may also help. The odds are that somewhere on the net that person is listed. The hard part is to keep on trying until you find him or her. So don't give up persevere and you should come up with the person you are looking for. These are listed as I came across them not on a priority basis. As they are all useful in their own way it is impossible to rate them. There are a lot that we didn't put here because they were either strictly a pay for service venture (and usually not very good) or they advertised but didn't deliver. However if you know of a site that should be listed here please let us know at parker2@entercomp.com

MASTER INDEX OF ARMY RECORDS This is more of a guide to what they have very little is available on the net. Most you have to request and pay for copies.The National Archives Here is the agency that is the watch dog over your records and 50,000,000 more veterans. The section that has them is the National Personnel Records Center.
http://www.semaphorecorp.com This database will show you what-moved-where.  -Find people who moved - search by name or address  -Find people who changed their name - like Mary Smith to Mary Jones - Find companies that moved - or changed names - Find phone number changes - like 408-555-1212 to 800-555-1212 - Find email account changes - like jones@old.name to smith@new.name - Find URL changes - like http://old.domain/page to http://new.domain/pageFIND CONTRIBUTORS TO POLITICAL COMMITTEES Just type is zip code, get back list. This is one of those you might think far out but isn't. Since it operates on zip codes you have to have a good idea what area the person is in but it could help as more people contribute to campaigns than you think. Oh don't know the zip code then try http://www.usps.gov The Post Office web site.
FREE BANKRUPTCY RECORDS SEARCH This is a commercial operation and has a lot more than bankruptcy records. Some services are free most cost. The fees range from 25 cents up to several dollars.

All About Search Engines A must to read before you start searching using search engines like Excite or Infoseek etc.

THE DIRECTORY The Directory enables you to search for e-mail and web addresses as well as fax and mobile telephone numbers for companies and individuals, at work and at home. It also puts you in complete control of your communications accessibility. You can enter your own details to provide up-to-the-minute accuracy and the level of privacy you desire.
THE PEOPLE PAGE Search for people by telephone books, email addresses, web site URL's, newsgroups, Chat grounds. Similar to The Directory. Under renovation right now but check it out. Large voluntary data base.http://www.555-1212.com Locate area codes, email addresses, telephone numbers and web sites. Again similar to The Directory and The People Page.
SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE PAGE Don't miss this one it lets you search the four major national telephone directories all from one page. Infospace, Switchboard, Four 11, Yahoo. Plus it has a reverse telephone directory service. Have an old phone number and no name? This will put a name to it. Also links to other sites.CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RECORDS The California Judicial Council is making extensive court records available on the Internet. The same applies to most state and county courts. To find them use the regional directories at Yahoo or check Piper Resources link below.
WORLD PAGES DIRECTORY Very good site on phone books from around the world. World Pages is collecting data for the entire planet. Over 230 directories representing over 170 countries! To go global and initiate your search, all you need to do is select a country from the list and you're on your way.AT&T FINDING PEOPLE DIRECTORIES AT&T Residential White Pages:Search the white page telephone directory to find others. AT&T WorldNet Member Directory:Find other members of the AT&T WorldNet family. Update your information or get You'll also find links to other FINDING PEOPLE phone books and FINDING BUSINESSES sources. This URL takes you to their extensive site map so you can choose what you want.
GILS Government Information Locator Service This is a search service of the Federal Government. It searches all of the federal government web sites. If the person you are looking for might be a federal employee this might be a good place to start. Also if you need any government services this will get you to the right place.ELECTRONIC LIBRARY Search 150 newspapers, 800 magazines and 2000 books for full text. This is a commercial venture and after 30 free days it's US$9.95 a month or US$59.00 a year. If you have a constant need for information it's a good deal. If you are just looking for someone one time then the free 30 days is a better one:-).
Social Security Administration They will forward a letter for you at a cost of $3.00.Piper Resources Excellent links to state and local government agencies.
FEDERAL WEB LOCATOR Index of all federal government agencies. Similar to GILS possibly better organized.

GOVBOT Search 106,151 web pages from government sites around the country all at once! Similar to the one above. Not necessarily redundant they may have pages others missed.

WEBCATS Want to be overwhelmed with information? This place can do it. It is a catalogue of Public and Private Libraries all over the world. Type in a name and in just a second (very fast server) you have a huge page full of references. Besides that all sorts of links to other similar resources. A must for any serious researcher.
FINANCIAL DATA FINDER Developed and maintained by the Ohio State University, this site lists online and off-line sources and resources for obtaining financial data. Why is this here? Well it has tons of links to various financial sites and may just help.The New York Times You have to register but so what. It's free and besides the news of there is plenty to research.
My Virtual Reference Desk Another huge reference site, well worth the visit. See to believe! Also great for students or any one wanting general information.Ancestry.com Here you can access the Social Security Index of deceased recipients. If the person you are looking had a SSAN this is a good place to start as you will know if you are looking for a live or dead person. This is a commercial site and the other data bases cost.
Sales Leads USA Yes they sell but also give away sales leads but the free info may just help you when you are getting desperate.Waiting for Your Input. If you know of a helpful link send it to parker2@entercomp.com
The Seeker Huge database of ads strictly for finding others. Excellent service.

Freedom Of Information Form

 

Notice

Need help getting documents from the government? Below is the outline for requesting documents from the government. Just follow this form letter and send it out. Be sure and be specific. Don't request unit morning reports for a whole year. They might have them and you wined up with a big bill. Be specific as to what you want.

Your Name, Address and Telephone Number,
{If your have them} a fax number and a email address {Use your real email address, many agencies do not use Hot Mail or other free email address because of the failure rate}

FOIA OFFICER
Address of Unit for Information Request {Government Agency}

Salutation:

Under the provisions of the freedom of information act, 5 U.S.C., I am requesting access to the following information. I am willing to pay up to ($50.00 (fifty dollars U.S.) for the costs of locating and reproducing this material. If the cost exceeds that amount, please notify me before filling my request. My reason for requesting this material is {the reason stated should be beneficial to public or veterans}

{Here tell them what you want and be as specific here as possible as to definition of information and it’s location}

As you are aware, the act permits you to reduce or waive fees when the release of this information is considered as "primarily benefiting the public." I believe that this request fits that category and therefore request that you waive any fees. (This happens most of the time but if you are requesting documents that do not pertain to you or a non profit project be prepared to pay for them)

If all or any part of this request in denied, please cite the specific exemptions which you believe justifies the refusal of release of this information to me, and inform me of the appeal procedures available to me. I would appreciate your handling this request as soon as possible and I look forward to hearing from you within ten days as the law stipulates. (if you are told they are classified write back and ask for the particulars on it and when it should automatically be declassified)

Sincerely,

{SIGN, TITLE IF APPLICABLE AND RETURN ADDRESS AGAIN}

{YOU CAN GET CRAFTY, AND SEND AN S.A.S.E WITH THIS! IT HELPS}