In the modern age of internet, finding military records is a breeze. It still takes a bit of digging and some letter writing to receive the records but once you know where to go on the internet, it makes the process much easier.
Military personnel records include information about enlistments or appointments, training, qualifications, duty stations and assignments, performance insurance, emergency data, administrative remarks, awards and medals, disciplinary actions, separation, discharge, or retirement and other personnel actions. This can be helpful when searching for a loved one or family member for genealogy.
There is a ton of great websites to help a person find military family members, or lost loved ones. A few wonderfully informative sites are:
The www.archives.gov (NARA) is the official repository for military records of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. If a service member has been discharged from military service, their records will be at the National Archives and Records Administration in Missouri.
The NARA has online request form, which can be printed and sent to the address listed on the site. The NARA has two types of request forms, the first is for veterans or family members of deceased veterans this includes direct family connections. The other form is for non-relatives to get information. The site will give you a link to fill out for each form. To assist in simplifying and expediting the search they ask that each request include the name of the veteran while in the service, service number if known, social security number, branch of service, service date, date and place of birth. The request letter needs to be signed, and dated. Requesting information on a deceased veteran needs to include proof of death this includes one of the following; a death certificate, letter from funeral home or published obituary.
In 1973, the NARA building burned and millions of records were lost but don't despair because the NARA can research a person through other channels like medical records to reconstruct a veteran's military record. A reconstructive search takes time but the results could be very helpful in a genealogy search.
The www.defense.gov just lists the addresses for each branch, and phone numbers. Along with a letter of request, it is a good idea to include a self-addressed stamped envelope (S.A.S.E) for the information to be returned.
Military.com is a nice site because you can register and use a search tool called Buddy Finder. The one drawback to this search tool is that anyone can list bogus contact information. Buddy Finder might be a nice tool for a general search but having a copy of the official military records on a person is a much better source of information.
Freeprf.com offers a list of various search engines to find military records not just of service members but also military information. It is a great place to expand on the general search and look for more information.
Another option to consider when searching for a military service member, is contacting the base where the service personnel was last posted. Perhaps someone there will remember them and be able to share there last known address or at least have an idea of where they were reassigned. It never hurts to pickup a phone and ask someone.
Active Duty Military Lookup This website allows users to verify the active duty status of Active Duty Reserve and National Guard members.
Air Force Worldwide Locator The Air Force World Wide Locator only has location information on individuals who are currently receiving compensation from the U.S. Air Force (active duty, Guard, Reserve, retired and Civil Service personnel).
Gulf War Veterans Locator The Locator Database has been online since early 1997, helping veterans of the Gulf Wars reunite.
Military Base Locator This list of U.S. Military bases provides general information about bases in the Continental U.S. and many other territories.
POW/MIA Online Database This database is designed to assist researchers in accessing U.S. Government documents pertaining to U.S. unaccounted-for military personnel from the Vietnam conflict as of December 1991.
