Resources for locating veteran service
information
Are you trying to find out information about a family member's service?
Or are you trying to locate your own
records? Or perhaps you are trying to locate a particular individual
with whom you or a loved one served. If so,
this is the page for you.
Good luck in your search!
-Rita
Part I: Service Records
National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records, located in St.
Louis, MO
- This is the Website for the National Archives'
Military Records Center. It details how to get information from them. It
also details not only what records were
lost in the 1973 fire, but also how they've managed to find some back-up
sources of information. This is one of the best places to start your search.
Air Force Historical Research Agency
Another very good place to get details on who to contact for
information, as well as what you will need to get it. This information
applies to all branches of the military, not just
the Air Force.
Dad's War: Finding and Telling Your Father's WWII Story-by Wes Johnston.
Wes gives seminars and has
published a book on locating veterans data. At this site you will find
many good links for tracking down information on the Web.
Part II: Reunion and Historical Organizations
Once you've found out what unit your friend or family member served in,
you will then need to find out if there is a
"Reunion Group" or "Historical Association" for that unit. They will
probably have detailed information on the
person you are looking for. They are also great places to meet old
friends or service buddies and to make new
friends.
Check out the pages linked below. They are pages of military and
veteran's organization links. There are an
astounding number of resources on-line and these pages go a long way to
cataloging them. And if you can't find
the exact unit you're looking for, DO NOT be discouraged. Only a small
percentage of reunion and veterans
organizations are on-line. So contact one that is similar. There is a
good chance they will be able to point you in
the right direction. I personally get several e-mails per week asking
for information.
Army Alumni Organizations - Start here! All branches of the service.
Veteran and Military Websites
Military Brats On-Line
Part III: Locating an individual
Now, if you are looking for a particular person, you may also wish to
try the following links. They are essentially
'telephone books' on the internet.
Switchboard
WhoWhere?
Search Engines
Alta Vista
Yahoo
