HOW DO I FIND A MILITARY VETERAN?

Introduction

The United States Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps & Coast Guard) keep track of you while you are fulfilling your service duties, but once you become a veteran or retire they no longer have record of a person’s current whereabouts beyond the address provided upon discharge. If you were ever part of the military, grew up in a military family or have married someone in the military you probably have noticed you move around a lot from base to base or conflict zone to conflict zone and people start to lose contact.  Many times a veteran will say “I wish I had Ryan Fitzpatricks address so I could at least send him a letter and see how he is doing.”  Keeping up with an entire company or platoon with contact information is something you don’t often think about on the spot (especially at 18-22 yrs of age or during a war) and can be hard to do.

The Military Bond

There are few bonds, if any, stronger than those cultivated in the United States Armed Forces.  Which branch has the greatest bond?  Well, I will leave that one up to debate as each respective branch will claim to boast the strongest honor, duty, courage and bonds amongst its members. 

Upon joining a branch of the military you will quickly find a family with your fellow Squad and Company members with the Drill Sergeant being your initial “Father.”  You are more than just a traditional family structure you are part of something that is WAY more important.  The men and women beside you come from so many different backgrounds and everyone has been brought together to serve a purpose as a part of the United States Armed Forces.  The great Americans that surround you are here to watch your back in the face of danger,  give you motivation when looking down, provide extra skills so that a near impossible task is accomplished and of course comic relief!  You quickly realize if you work together with your new brothers and sisters nothing would seem impossible.  These initial strangers are now your life support, your laughter, your pain, your love and a family that you do not want to EVER let down. 

Knowing that a war movie will never be as real as true combat I will relate this fact.  How many war movies have you seen where a member of the United States Armed Forces leaves a wounded soldier behind to watch out for themselves?  Probably NEVER, because that isn’t how it works.  While under fire it would seem sensible to take cover and not risk being shot yourself, than to save a fellow soldier.  So what almost always happens?  A soldier risks heavy enemy fire and their life to save a fellow brother/sister in arms.  This is an example of amazing courage and I ask you civilians: Would you do such a thing for someone you may have met just 6 months ago?    These men and women of the Armed Forces know that they can rely on each other and would die for each other.   

An excerpt from the story “Coming Home” by Sharon Cohen really helps to express the bond formed in the military.  The article is wonderful as it is a 7 part series which chronicles the longest deployment of the Iraq war.  Sgt. John Kriesel was home on leave as a part of the 1^st Brigade Combat Team/34^th Infantry Division and was anxiously awaiting the arrival of his unit for a reunion.  He hadn’t seen his friends in over 7 months!

“Kriesel hadn't seen his "guys" since he lost his legs in a roadside bombing in Iraq. Now, finally, on this bright July day at Volk Field in Wisconsin, the soldiers who served with him -- several of whom he had known since high school -- were home after a 22-month tour of duty, including 16 months in Iraq. And he was there to welcome them.

Wearing shorts, sunglasses and bright yellow running shoes and standing firmly with his prosthetic legs, Kriesel beamed as a long line of soldiers formed, snaking from the plane's steps across the tarmac.

One by one, Kriesel greeted them with hugs, handshakes, smiles and jokes.

One soldier carried his battered M-4 weapon that survived the IED attack. "Is that my rifle?" Kriesel exclaimed, touching it again.

"You look good!" another friend said. "You look better than me."

"No, I don't," Kriesel replied. "YOU look good. You got legs, bro."

Staff Sgt. Tim Nelson, who was Kriesel's roommate in Iraq and squad leader, jumped ahead in line and the two men embraced, holding each other tightly. Nelson was in the Humvee seat behind him when it ran over an IED.

Nelson flew with Kriesel to the military hospital in Balad, Iraq, and held his hand when Kriesel's survival was in doubt.

"Good to see you, dude," Kriesel said to Nelson. "I heard you yelling and I wasn't going to let go."

Staff Sgt. Todd Everson was also there. He was one of Kriesel's rescuers, binding his left leg in a tourniquet.

"I'd be dead without you," Kriesel said.

The next day, as Kriesel watched the soldiers' formation at Fort McCoy, they surprised him by shouting, whistling, waving -- and pointing to the place he had always stood.

Kriesel walked over and took his regular spot at the formation, and his battalion commander pinned the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Bronze Star on his chest.”

So How Do You Find an Old Military Buddy?

Above I have discussed the type of bond that is created as a member of the United States Armed Forces, however trying to locate a military veteran isn’t only for those who served in the military.  Imagine the delight of your military father, brother, sister, mother, grandfather etc. when you tell them you have contact information for someone who was in his unit that he fought with some 30 years ago!  If you don’t think this is one of the greatest gifts you could give a military veteran please take a look at these heartwarming Reunited Veteran’s Stories.

“I had tried on and off for 36 years to find a friend that I served with in Viet Nam. One night I was surfing the web and came across a veteran search site. I posted an ad under "Buddy Finder" and within 2 months I heard from him. We have been "talking" via email for several months now swapping pics. We have been on the phone with each other a couple of times and we are making plans for a reunion later on next year.  A great feeling finding someone after so long.” -Jim Armstrong

When searching for a military veteran having this information is helpful.

* Branch of Service they were in (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard)

* Military Unit Names/Location (4^th Infantry Division or the USS FDR)

* Dates the Person Served in the Military

* Birthdate

* Service Number and or Social Security Number

* Where the person was born or grew up

* Location of Where They Entered and or Exited the Military

FINDING THAT MILITARY VETERAN

I write this to inform those about some options other than the obvious first check of the phonebook, WhitePages.com or 411.com. 

So it is time to play a little gum shoe!  Do not get discouraged if you hit a dead end in your search because you will.  There are multiple ways to try and track down a military veteran and you may have to try EVERY WAY possible.  Let’s start with the easiest.  The Internet has opened up new doorways and has made tracking down a military veteran much easier.  Only 8 years ago this would have proven a daunting task, one that you may have had to pay someone big bucks to track down the person you are looking for.

Search the Internet

I typed “Find Military Veterans” and “Army Veteran” into Google and the site VetFriends.com appeared as the first result, and for good reason. They dub themselves as THE military veteran network with nearly 900,000 registered users, making them the largest site dedicated to military veterans.  I referenced their “Reunited Veteran’s Stories” earlier in my article and they no doubt seem to be the leaders when it comes to Veteran Reunions and anything related to Veterans of the Military.  They have many resources for Veterans other than the Military Reunions, but for the sake of staying on topic I will let you discover those on your own.  Since they boast the largest network of Military Veterans and have had success doing this sort of thing I strongly recommend starting with VetFriends.  Your search could start and end with just a few easy clicks on your computer.  Searching will be easy if you have some of the important information I referenced above.  Should you not find who you are looking for there are other sites you can check as well.  Type “Find Military Veterans” into Google and work your way down the list. Also for the younger crowd you can check Facebook.com and MySpace.  There has been much success using the Internet to find people and the beauty of these military networks is everyone on the site is a registered user.  Which means once you become a registered user you can message or email your long lost friend instantly and directly, something that is not allowed using other traditional/older methods of locating veterans.

Tips when performing a military veteran internet search

*Do not get completely discouraged if the person you are searching for is not on the Internet network.  There are other outlets while still using the same Internet search.

*Don’t just type the name of the person; try searching by the Branch Military Unit and looking through the registered members.

*Post a “Looking for message” on the Specific Unit Page Message Board/Forum or general Message board on the Web site.

*Let’s say you know this information Branch, unit name (3^rd Armored Division) and the years they served.

You can browse by branch unit.  Look for people who served around the same time as the person you are looking for and email them.  Someone will probably know who you are looking for and may even know how to get in touch with them!

No Luck with the Internet? Try These Methods

*Use the Department of Veterans Affairs.  They have a listing of all veterans who were discharged since 1974, but they only have addresses for those who have at some time applied for VA benefits.  The address for a specific veteran is the address they gave when they LAST applied for VA benefits so it could be outdated.  Your local VA office will forward a letter on your behalf.

*Contact Servicemen Group Life Insurance and see if the person you are searching for has applied for Life Insurance, they will forward a letter on your behalf to the person you are trying to locate.

*Use the National Personnel Records Center. They will forward a correspondence letter to the veteran’s last known address.  This address is usually the one provided when they separated from the service so it may not be too accurate, but it is still worth a shot.  There are certain requirements in order to have a correspondence letter sent which you can view on their Web site.

*Check with the various Veterans’ Associations that are out there.

These include the VFW and The American Legion.

These types of organizations will usually assist in locating members of the military.  They do not release home address information usually, but will forward letters.  What you will receive varies by organization as some will provide this service if you are a member of their organization and others will not.  Many groups have reunion information posted on their Web site or newsletter. Example- VFW reunion information.  Also you can place an “In search of” announcement on many of these Web sites or newsletters; you never know who has a possible lead in your search.

Here is a comprehensive list of US Military Veteran Associations categorized with links.

Currently there are 26 million military veterans in the United States and their care and honor should be of the utmost importance.

I hope this guide has enough information to get you started, good luck with your search and thank you to all our brave veterans out there!