| Finding Military Personnel |
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Military Locator Service | Army
| Navy | Air Force
| Marine Corps | Coast
Guard | The following list of Federal agencies and private organizations assist individuals in locating persons of unknown whereabouts. The Privacy Act of 1974 prohibits Federal agencies from providing the home addresses or telephone numbers of individuals without their written permission. Keep this in mind before beginning your search. In most cases, the agency or organization will only agree to let the person know you are trying to locate them. They may also agree to forward a letter written by you to the person that you are trying to locate. Be sure to include the appropriate first class postage with the letter to the locator service. It will be up to the individual to respond. Of course if you suspect the person you are unable to locate has been the victim of a crime, you should immediately contact your closest law enforcement agency. |
| This information can help you to locate active, reserve, and retired Department of Defense (DOD) military personnel. Each of the five branches of the military has separate procedures for contacting active or past service members. In cases of emergency, immediate family members should contact the local chapter of the American Red Cross. The telephone number and address are available from your local telephone directory, directory assistance, or by calling our National Contact Center toll-free at 1 (800) FED INFO, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., eastern time. Provide as much identifying information as possible about the person you wish to locate, such as full name, rank, last duty assignment/last known military address, service number, and Social Security number. The locator service is free to immediate family members and Federal and State government officials. Other family members, civilian friends, businesses, or any others must pay a non-refundable fee of $3.50 in the form of a check or money order made payable to the U.S. Treasury. To locate an active-duty member at the U.S. Army:
To locate an Army retiree:
To locate an Army separatee:
Current addresses are not maintained for separatees who are not serving under reserve obligation. In such cases you might want to try a military organization such as the American Legion or VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars). To locate an active-duty member at the U.S. Navy:
To locate Navy retirees and separatees: Limited service is available by writing to the address above. Letters will be forwarded, if possible, to the retiree. A locator notice can also be posted in the Navy retiree’s newsletter Shift Colors or you may advertise for former shipmates in any of the many veterans’ organization magazines. The Air Force Worldwide Locator can locate active duty personnel, as well as retirees, reservists, and guardsmen. Parents, spouses, and government officials may call 210/565-2478. Letters requesting locator service should be mailed to:
This service will not help in locating Air Force separatees or Army Air Corps retirees. You may write to the National Personnel Records Center below or contact one of the various veterans’ service organizations to help in locating these persons.
The Marine Corps Locator Service can provide the duty station for active duty personnel and reservists. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., eastern time. The telephone number is 703/784-3942. Your written request should be mailed to:
The Marine Corps is not able to assist in locating former Marines. They suggest you place an ad in Leatherneck Magazine. There is a monthly feature called "Mail Call" that includes locator requests. There is no charge for the service and you may send your request to:
To locate an Active Duty Member at the U.S. Coast Guard: The Coast Guard World Wide Locator has duty stations for active duty personnel. To locate Active Duty Personnel Only: The telephone number is (202) 493-1697 or Send us an e-mail with the person's full name to GOverall@Ballston.uscg.mil Coast Guard Personnel Command does not have custody of crew lists or current addresses for former Coast Guard service members. To locate Coast Guard separatees: The Military Reference Branch, National Archives, Washington, D. C. 20408, holds copies of most deck logs. The Suitland Reference Branch, National Archives, Washington D. C. 20409 has custody of muster rolls. The National Personal Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri has a repository of records for retired and separate military members. You will need to fill-in Standard Form 180 to request military records information. (http://www.nara.gov/regional/mprsf180.html) The address is: National Personnel Records Center Individuals have also had success locating former and retired military personnel by placing advertisements or reunion notices in Coast Guard periodicals. These magazines have a combined circulation of several hundred thousand. Please contact the individual editors for assistance. Other Sources from the Coast Guard: Fred's Place offers an online E-Mail Directory of Active Duty, Reserve, Retired, Auxiliary and Civilian co-workers of the U. S. Coast Guard. This Directory is a listing of individuals that have voluntarily registered at Fred's Place and is not a complete listing of Coast Guard Personnel. Fred's Place offers a Locator Page at: www.fredsplace.org. |
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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Social Security Administration, and the Salvation Army can assist you in locating individuals here in the United States. The Department of State’s American Citizens Service Abroad can assist you in locating relatives or friends living or visiting abroad and who are U.S. citizens. Please review the policies and guidelines for each agency/organization below: Internal Revenue Service (IRS) The IRS may forward a letter to someone when humane reasons are involved. For example:
For more information and clarification as to what may constitute "humane" reasons, you may refer to the IRS Handbook 1.3, Chapter 11, which you may find in Other Information Available to the Public. If you would like the IRS to help you locate an individual, place a personal letter addressed to the individual in a blank envelope. Include first class U.S. postage, and do not seal the letter. Place the unsealed letter in another envelope and address it as follows:
The Social Security Administration will attempt to forward a letter to a missing person for reasons similar to those mentioned in the IRS section above. There is a $3.00 charge for forwarding letters to inform persons about money or property they may be owed. Humanitarian letters are forwarded free of charge. Follow the same guidelines for sending a letter, and address it as follows:
The Salvation Army has operated a Family Tracing Service since 1885. The service is designed to help people reestablish contact with close relatives they may have lost touch with a few years ago or many years ago. The service is available in many of the 100 countries where the Salvation Army is located. The Salvation Army will not help to locate someone in the following instances:
From the United States, you may contact the Salvation Army Territory Office for your state. Local Salvation Army office numbers are listed in your local telephone directory. You may also contact them to begin your search. The US Department of State, Overseas Citizens Services will help locate relatives or friends who are overseas when there is concern about their welfare or a need to notify them of emergencies at home. The Privacy Act requires that U.S. citizens over the age of 18 provide a Privacy Act waiver before information about them is released to a third party. Persons in the United States may inquire about the welfare or whereabouts of U.S. citizens abroad by calling the Overseas Citizens Services at 202/647-5225. You may also contact the American Citizens Service Section of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate directly. You will need to include the following information before you call or contact the Department of State:
If you would like more information about locating persons of unknown whereabouts, you may call our National Contact Center toll-free at 1 (800) FED INFO, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. eastern time. Reviewed: November 22, 2004 |
