How Do I Find a Veteran?

Learn More About Finding a Veteran

Or maybe you're asking yourself, why should I want to find a veteran? Say you want to find out more about your dad. You can try chatting with one of his former military buddies. Or perhaps you had a friend in the military with whom you've lost contact, and you want to try to find them and reconnect.

These are just a couple of reasons why you might find yourself interested in a veteran search.

Reminisce About a Lost Loved One

Some veterans are now deceased, either in-service or at home. A veteran search can help you more fully celebrate that person's life, especially if the person in question didn't provide you with a lot of information before passing away. With the information you receive through a veteran search, it's easier than ever to learn more about your lost loved one.

This can also be the start of a family tree. Whether your loved one intentionally avoided questions about extended family or you were just never able to talk, you can find that person and get more information about those extended family members. You can simply build a family tree or even get in contact with the people you find and fondly remember your loved one together.

Research an Old Friend

If you have an old friend who once served in the military, veteran search records may be the best option you have in order to get more information about that person. It's also a good way to refresh your memory on how the individual served in the military, including reasons for discharge or retirement, and when the individual served. That way, you can inform yourself before talking to the person again.

When you find a veteran through an online people search like PeopleFinders, you also find a variety of contact information. That contact information can be extremely useful if you're interested in getting back in touch with the friend in question but don't have any contact information at the moment. You can do it all from one place.

Find Family Members Who Served

Because so many people once served in the military, it's likely that at least a few members of your family served at some point. Many families also carry military service as a point of pride, meaning that it's possible that generations of your family served in the same military branch. If you want to get back in touch with family members or you just want to get more information, veteran records can be the key.

These veteran records can also be a great addition to a family tree, especially if you're looking at people from a long time ago. Fun and interesting information like the amount of time an individual served in the military, any medals they may have been awarded, or injuries they sustained are interesting things you can add to a family tree to flesh it out a little further.

What Information Can Help With Finding a Veteran?

If you're looking into veteran records, you can do so through a variety of channels. So what information will help you get back in touch with a veteran in your life?

Service Records

Service records can help some people find a veteran. If you know the time during which an individual served and that person's name, you can narrow down the records to eventually find the service records in question. These service records may offer a variety of information you can add to a family tree, or that you can utilize to find an individual now.

The biggest thing to remember is that this information can be very hit and miss. The Federal Records Centers, for example, don't keep veteran records online, so you have to put in an official request for those records. Still, if you want to get the most information, it can be a useful tool.

Address Records

Do you know where a veteran once lived? That information may help you find the veteran in question. It's especially helpful if you once stayed close with a veteran before the military deployed that individual to a different location or even overseas. With the address records, you should be able to find a veteran quickly and easily.

Address records are especially helpful when you want to locate someone as quickly as possible. After all, each address has a limited number of residents over the years, and it's highly unlikely that two people with the same name will rent or buy a residence. You might want to start with an address lookup if you have that information and build from there.

General Public Records

You can also find a veteran just like anyone else with general public records. Through an online people search like PeopleFinders, you can utilize a huge database of public records to find information on just about any American adult, including the veteran in question. Plus, you can then use the public records on file to gather more information about the veteran's family and current contact location.

Though it can take more time to comb through a public records search than to perform an address lookup, this is a very useful opportunity if you don't have a lot of information about someone. You don't need a lot of identifying information to start a public records search; just a first and last name. That means it turns up more results that you aren't looking for, but it also means you have a higher probability of finding the person in question.

How Can I Get Information About a Veteran?

So, if you're looking for these records, how do you actually get them? It's easy to consider what information may just help, but these methods can actually find that information for you.

Courthouse Records and Other Record Offices

Public records are just that: public. You can often request records directly from a courthouse, sheriff's office, or other official record-keeping offices like the National Archives. Once you have that information, you can build a family tree more effectively.

The downside of this method is that it's time-consuming and can be very expensive. Although the records themselves cost no money, courthouses often charge administrative fees for locating and printing records, and those fees can add up quickly.

Online People Searches

The most cost-effective option if you want to find a veteran is to use an online people search like PeopleFinders. With PeopleFinders, you can find information about almost any American adult. As an additional benefit, it's also extremely easy for you to try and do so. Because PeopleFinders allows you to access so many public records, you can locate a veteran just like anyone else.

For the best results, you might want to start with more specific information and perform an address lookup or reverse phone search. But if you don't have specifics, it's easy to start with a people search. Just input the right name, then browse through anyone who aligns with other identifying information, filtering the results as you see fit. With literally billions of records available, you're bound to find the right person eventually.

Get Back in Touch With PeopleFinders

It's never easy to lose a friend, but with PeopleFinders, you don't have to just accept that you've drifted apart. If you want to get back in touch, PeopleFinders can help you do just that. Its variety of records let you find a veteran--or anyone else--who has been in your life.

PeopleFinders can help you find the answers you've been looking for, whether you want to find a veteran, extend your family tree, or even determine the safety of your loved ones. Try a people search today and get back in touch with the people you love and admire.