How To Prove If Someone Was In The Military

Submit Your Foia Request Letter

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There are two ways to submit your FOIA request letter. One option is via Snail Mail and the other option is via email. Choose one of the options and send the FOIA request letter to your specific military branch but keep in mind that each branch has its own FOIA department.

For the Army

Your contact person is Alecia Boiling.

Office Address: Suite 144, 7701 Telegraph Road, Room 150, Alexandria, VA 22315-3905
Telephone Number: 703-428-7128
Email Address:
Online Submission Link: https://www.foia.army.mil/foiarequest/default.aspx

They can help you find a soldier in the Army by searching for Army records. This applies for both current soldiers and veterans . They can also tell you if a person received an honorable discharge.

For the Air Force

Your contact person is JoAnne Collins.

Office Address: 1000 Air Force Pentagon, Washington, DC 20330-1000
Telephone Number: 693-2735
Email Address:
Online Submission Link: https://efoia.milcloud.mil/App/CreateRequester.aspx

Examples of information that you can get include a persons military service number, discharge status, enlistment date, etc.

For the Navy

Your contact person is Robin Patterson.

Office Address: DNS-36, 2000 Navy Pentagon, Washington, DC 20350-2000
Telephone Number: 202-685-0412
Email Address:
Online Submission Link: https://www.secnav.navy.mil/foia/Pages/default.aspx

Like the Air Force, The Navy will give you info on a persons service number, discharge status, enlistment dates, etc.

For the Marine Corps

Title An Imported Vehicle

The following individuals are allowed to import a vehicle duty-free from outside the United States:

Military personnel returning at the end of an assignment in a territory outside the United States customs area
U.S. government employees returning at the end of an assignment in a territory outside the United States customs area

Duty-free means that items brought through customs are not subject to a tax that is usually assigned to items imported between countries. Even though a military or U.S. government employee may be eligible to import a vehicle duty-free, this does not imply that the vehicle is not subject to Indiana sales tax. If the person importing the vehicle duty-free did not pay 7% sales tax on the vehicle when they purchased it and did not title the vehicle in their name prior to entry to the United States, normal sales tax rules apply.

The following completed documents are necessary for titling imported vehicles for personal use:

Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – NHSTA HS-7 Declaration Form . This form must be filed when motor vehicles or items of motor vehicle equipment are entered. The HS-7 can be obtained from custom brokers or ports of entry.

Environmental Protection Agency – EPA 3520-1 Emissions Form

Documents of ownership

Physical Inspection of a Vehicle or Watercraft – State Form 39530. A law enforcement official of any state may fill out this form.

How To Make A Foia Request

Below is a simple step-by-step process for obtaining a valid FOIA request:

Step 1: Fill Out A FOIA Request Letter

There is no official government form that you need to fill out to make a FOIA request.

You can literally just write or type it out on a sheet of paper, however, it should contain some pertinent info.

We here at OMK have made a couple sample FOIA request letters for your convenience, see them below:

if youre a member of the news media looking to verify someones military records.

if youre an individual that is simply seeking information regarding someones military status or past.

if youre affiliated with a private corporation and are seeking to verify someones military service for employment purposes.

if youre affiliated with a college, university, or educational institution.

Step 2: Snail Mail / Email Your Request To The Appropriate Agency

After filling out and printing your FOIA request, you will then simply send it to the appropriate agency.

Each branch of the military has their own FOIA department, whereby you can either send it via Snail mail , or via email.

Ive presented both options below for each branch of the military:

Air Force FOIA Request Details

JoAnne Collins FOIA ContactDepartment of the Air ForceSAF/AAII Washington, DC 20330-1000

Telephone 693-2735

If you would like to email your request, send to the following email address:

Alternatively, you can submit your FOIA request via this link.

Army FOIA Request Details

Step 3: Wait

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Request For A Single Or Multiple Record

You should choose a Single record if you want to confirm just one persons military service the Multiple is for if you are seeking more than one. You will have to register for the latter, but it is free of charge.

When you click on Single record or Multiple records, the page will navigate to another space, where you must put in the information for the required field. After that, you can click Submit.

Here is a sample of the screen for a Single record. The required fields are the ones with a red asterisk. You must fill these out in order to click Submit.

You will get a report that looks something like this:

You can get information on when a persons active duty started and ended, and the branch they were in. As such, you can check if a soldier is real. However, if you want to get more detailed information, like the schools the person attended, the awards they received, etc, the second option will be better.

Apply For Your Own Records

Allied artillery on target together in Germany

You can apply for your own records by completing a Subject Access Request form if you are, or have been, a member of the armed forces, for example:

the Royal Navy
the British Army
the Royal Air Force

Send it to the address on the form, along with any supporting documents. Theres no fee.

Also use this form if youre acting on behalf of the person, for example if you have lasting power of attorney.

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Research A Veteran Guide

Please note that the National Archives are currently closed to external researchers due to the pandemic, and they are currently only accepting emergency requests for records to assist veterans.

More than 16 million American men and women served in the US Armed Forces during World War II, and another 3.5 million worked as federal civilian employees during the war. These men and women are our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or siblings. Many have shared their stories, but many others have not, and few details from their time in service are known.

The purpose of this guide is to assist veterans and their families in obtaining copies of their military personnel files from the National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri.

Details include the types of records available, where they are located, and how to obtain copies. The latter part of the guide details the information available on WWII units and ships. By researching the unit or ship to which a veteran was assigned, you can begin to piece together his or her unique wartime story, and better understand what the war means to your family.

This free resource supports research initiatives of the Museums Institute for the Study of War and Democracy.

Obtaining Service Records Using Sf

To request military personnel records, download an SF-180 form, fill it out and mail it back to the NPRC at:

National Personnel Records CenterSt. Louis, Missouri 63138.

You can also fax the form to the NPRC at 801-9195.

If you cant download an SF-180, you can use this inquiry form to ask the NPRC to mail you an SF-180.

If you are a dead veterans next-of-kin, you can fill out an SF-180 form or use an online order form to request the veterans separation documents, including a DD-214.

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Verifying Service Is And Important Recruiting Step

There are many ways to check to see if an individual has served in the military. Veterans are an asset to your team, and its perfectly reasonable to make sure that someone isnt trying to make false claims. Verifying service is important, so be sure you do the diligence of checking verification options are there.

Fort Stewart Haaf Firearms Regulation

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Persons bringing firearms onto the installation must comply with Fort Stewart regulation 190-11s rules requiring registration of all weapons on the installation, unless exempt. Persons bringing firearms onto the installation must also comply with the regulations carry and use requirements. Fort Stewart regulation 190-11 is punitive regulation and violations of it may result in administrative action or prosecution under the UCMJ. Civilians who violate this regulation may be subject to administrative action and criminal prosecution.

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What Happens After I Make My Request

After submitting a request, the FOIA will traditionally send you a letter acknowledging they received the request. They may also provide a tracking number for the public records military request.

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The U.S. Military generally processes your request, searches for public records, then determines what information they are able to disclose. A simple name verification is usually no trouble at all.

However, it does take some time to do a military lookup by name which makes FOIA requests not the fastest means for proof of military service online.

There is no initial fee required to submit an FOIA request. However, charges may apply in particular circumstances. In general, an FOIA request will cost nothing if the search takes less than two hours, and less than 100 pages need to get duplicated. You may include in your request letter how much you are willing to pay in fees, if anything.

The U.S. Military processes requests in the order they were received. A simple request, that is one of only a few pages of requested documents, usually takes a shorter amount of response time compared to detailed requests.

All in all, youre looking at about 4 8 weeks to receive a response to your FOIA request.

For more information regarding the Freedom of Information Act , please visit this frequently asked questions page.

Discover More About These Records

Findmypasts British Army service records is one of the most significant British Army collections available online. There are more than 8 million records available. The collection includes a myriad of Army forms including attestation papers, medical forms, discharge documents, pension claims, and proceedings of regimental boards. The attestation form was completed when the soldier joined the regiment and was updated throughout his military career. This, together with other papers found in soldiers files, can help piece together a very detailed picture of an individual. This search covers all available papers for each soldier. The records found in this collection come from both The National Archives and the Scots Guards.

Some of the medical reports found on attestation forms reveal how tough conditions could be for the men and how they reacted to these conditions. In the records, we discover that Reuben Booth from the 10th Battalion suffered from trench foot and dental caries, but the doctor’s notes state: This man refuses dental treatment. In addition, the doctor’s notes of a medical report about a musician from Roden Hill, Marton, Buckinghamshire, claim that the man walks with a marked limp which in my opinion is greatly exaggerated.

How To Prove That A Defendant Is Not An Active Member Of The Military For A Lawsuit In New Jersey Court

How to File a Civil Action Suit in New Jersey

It’s not easy to prove a negative fact, but that’s what you must do in New Jersey if you want to take a default judgement against someone you sue who doesn’t show up in court. Active members of the military are not subject to the same default rules, so before you proceed you have to prove that the defendant is not in the military.

Search The National Personnel Records Center

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The National Personnel Records Center is located in St. Louis, Missouri. For those that are not able to attend NPRC in-person, the national archives are also available to request online.

The repository contains millions of military personnel, health, and medical records of discharged as well as deceased veterans of all services during the 20th century.

According to the website, records that were prior to WWI are located in Washington, D.C.

NPRC also hosts medical treatment records related to retirees from all services, and records for dependent and other persons treated at naval medical facilities. The site is provided to anyone that would like more information regarding military personnel, medical, or health records.

The information is made available upon written request to the National Personnel Records Center.

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How To Request Military Records From The Nprc

Step 2: Download and print a copy of the SF-180.
Step 3: Fill out the form SF-180.
Step 4: Mail the form SF-180 to the National Personnel Records Center.
Step 5: Wait for a response from the NPRC regarding the status of the request. After 10 days file an Online Status Update Request form.

An alternative to filling out and mailing a form SF-180 is to simply write a letter of request to the NPRC.

The letter does not need to be long, just simply outline as many specifics about the request you are seeking.

Try to include as much of the following info as possible:

Veterans complete name while he / she served
Social Security Number
Date of birth of the person whose information youre requesting
Place of birth of the person whose information youre requesting

Then, you need to sign and date the letter.

The mailing address for written request letters or form SF-180 is:

National Personnel Records CenterSt. Louis, Missouri63138

The NPRC asks individuals that make a request to the archives wait at least 10 days before following up with the center. It takes time for the NPRC to receive and process your request given their workload.

You may check the status of your request by using the Online Status Update Request form. You may also contact the NPRC directly through a toll free phone number: 1-866-272-6272.

The National Personnel Records Center is open Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm, CST. The national archives are closed on weekends and Federal holidays.

Free Ways To Check If Someone Was In The Military / Verify Service

We live in a world where trust is not easily granted. Weve all heard stories about scam artists, phonies, and those that pretend to be something they are not.

Unfortunately, this is also very common in the world of the U.S. Military. There are sorry individuals that exaggerate what they did while in service, or lie altogether about being a soldier or veteran.

For this reason, its sometimes necessary to verify if someone actually served or is serving in the US military.

Reasons include employment verification, checking the background of a relative or boyfriend / girlfriend.

Unfortunately, there arent any public military database records that one can easily search online.

Weve gotten a lot of questions about this. Questions like:

How do you do a military lookup by name? Is there a free military background check available online?

Fortunately, you have some options.

Below are 6 ways to verify someones military service.

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Search For Claimed Commendation Medals

There are better ways to verify the authenticity of someone that claims they served in the U.S. Armed Forces, however, if you want a quick and easy way to conduct a free military background check it is worth a shot.

For those service members that claim they received commendation medals such as a Purple Heart or Silver Star, there are available databases online that can verify this information.

Finding Your British Army Ancestor

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Remember, some soldiers used an initial or a diminutive instead of a first name, so you should be aware of possible alternatives to your ancestors first name.
Begin your search with only the soldiers name. Not all records included service number, regiment, or birth place.
When searching by regiment, it is important that you keep in mind that the names of regiments have changed throughout history. Originally, regiments took on the name of their colonel, and then in 1694, a number system was introduced . In 1751, regiments were given additional titles such as Kings Own. In 1782, regiments were attached to geographical areas, and by 1881, regiments no longer used their numerical titles but instead were known by their territorial titles. However, some regiments still used their numerical titles unofficially.

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Use Of Online Services

The good news about military background check programs online is that they offer information that is very detailed, fast, and reliable. The greatest flaw is that the program costs money to use. Sometimes, internet military background checks will get you nearly immediate results that are perfect, such as a blind date where someone has to figure out immediately if the person they see is sincere or lying to their face. Some services that can be used online are Truthfinder.com, BeenVerified.com and PeopleFinders.com. These services will provide data related to a person not only for government services, but these websites also check for public records. It might have some advantages, however, it also has disadvantages too.

Use A Foia Letter To Request Service Records

If you can not obtain an SF-180, you can send a FOIA letter.

Include as much information as possible to help the NPRC locate the service members file, including:

The veterans complete name used while in service
Service number, Social Security number or Department of Defense identification number
Branch of service
Date and place of birth

Complete An Foia Request Letter

You just need to type out or write out your request on a sheet of paper. You can check the sample requests we have compiled from various sources to get an idea of what you should have on your request:

If you want to seek information about someones military past or current status as a:

Individual Click here.
News Media Personnel Click here.
Private Corporation Personnel Click here.
College, University, or Educational Institute Personnel Click here.

Once you fill out your FOIA request, proceed to the next step.