Military service records are considered public information in the U.S. However, the Department of Defense now requires that you submit a signed written request to access military personnel records. Occasionally, if you meet resistance or foot-dragging, you may need to make a formal Freedom of Information (FOI) request or perhaps to speak to the FOI officer at the base where the individual is stationed.

United States Military Background Check Resources

If your goal is not to access personnel records but simply to verify that someone is or has been a member of the armed services, or to locate someone in the military, your task is easier. One source of this type of basic information on active duty personnel is GIsearch.com. For vets, visit the site of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis.

You should also be aware that each branch of the service has a military locator service in the Pentagon in Arlington VA. A little-known source is county courthouse records, specifically the miscellaneous personal records, or "MPR's." Ask the courthouse clerk to assist you in finding military discharge forms, or DD-214's. These provide the complete military history of veterans, but are available today only for older veterans (those who served before 1980).

Other web sites which can prove useful in researching veterans and active soldiers:

US Department of Defense

The US Army

The US Air Force

The US Navy

The US Marine Corps

The US Coast Guard