The Marine Corps is the smallest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Though this branch is made up of fewer individuals, members of the Marine Corps take well-deserved pride in their motto Semper Fidelis, or “Semper Fi,” meaning always faithful.
Of course, with time and distance, it’s common for Marines who have lost touch with one another to want to reconnect.
Thankfully, there are many resources for this purpose, and here are 5 ways to find a Marine by name for those who wish to reconnect with and remember their fellow service members.
Table of Contents
#1. TruthFinder
Note: Click Here to visit the official Truthfinder website.
TruthFinder is a service for which members pay to subscribe so they can search for individuals, including finding a former or current Marine.
This service allows users to find a Marine by name, phone number, physical address, and/or email address.
With TruthFinder, members are provided several methods for locating a Marine.
For example, the service includes ways of scanning millions of public records, social network data, databases, and other sources to provide a detailed report about the Marine Corps service person you are trying to locate.
There are membership plans that allow subscribers to access search options by:
- Name
- Address
- Phone number
- Email address
As a result, a background report is generated by TruthFinder with detailed information about the Marine you wish to find.
Such information found in the report may include:
- Records of birth and/or death
- Contact information
- Possible relatives
- Possible associates, friends, roommates
- Location history report in detail
- Education history
- Employment history
- Social media/dating profiles
- Criminal, arrest, and/or traffic records
- Vehicle and property assets
TruthFinder requires members to subscribe and pay for access to information sources.
However, this service is considered accurate and affordable compared to other Marine Corps personnel locators.
Pricing for TruthFinder is based on the package the subscriber decides to purchase.
A standard membership with unlimited reports usually costs between $25-$30 per month.
Many veterans or current members of the Marine Corps are protective of their online privacy, keeping a minimal digital footprint and avoiding social media platforms.
This can create difficulties in performing a U.S. Marine Corps search.
Therefore, TruthFinder is a viable option for locating Marines who might otherwise be challenging to find through other online services.
If you’re looking to find a Marine by name, Truthfinder is your best bet.
Click Here to visit the official Truthfinder website.
#2. VetFriends
VetFriends is a military veteran search database designed to help Marine Corps veterans and active personnel locate fellow service members.
It was established in 2000 with the purpose of helping veterans and active duty military members find each other and reconnect.
This is an excellent service locator for former and current Marines.
The site’s mission is to “reconnect, honor, and support” veterans and military members through the use and benefits of modern technology.
Here are some of the member services offered by VetFriends:
- Database with over 2.5 million members
- Information regarding military records and medals
- Military message boards
- Job boards for veterans
- Photo collections
- Military pride merchandise catalog
- Military units reunion information
Creating a profile on VetFriends is free but complete search capabilities of the website and database can only be accessed by paid membership.
Becoming a Member
Here are the membership tiers for VetFriends:
- Lifetime: $97 per year for lifetime legacy access to the entire site
- Platinum: $47 per 6 months; reduced catalog discounts, no embroidered hat or license plate frame
- Gold: $9.97 per month; lower catalog discounts, no embroidered hat or license plate frame
- Free: limited access only
A contract is not required to become a member of VetFriends.
Membership payments can be stopped at any time.
Marines can be searched for by first and last name or the database can be searched by military unit (past and present) or U.S. Public Records.
VetFriends is proud to offer more than a search locator and database for Marines and other veterans to connect with one another.
The site fosters a sense of community with message boards for communication, relevant military blogs, reunion stories, book recommendations, and more.
Therefore, VetFriends allows Marines a search option for those they previously met in the USMC.
It’s also an opportunity for all site members to connect and establish new relationships.
#3. Marine Corps World Wide Locator
Each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces offers a locator service, including the Marine Corps.
To find a Marine by name, you may contact the Marine Corps World Wide Locator.
It’s important to note that this service applies only to Marines on current active duty.
For written requests, the address is as follows:
Headquarters U S Marine Corps
Personnel Management Support Branch (MMSB-17)
2008 Elliot Road
Quantico, VA
22134-5030
Due to the large volume of locator requests, at least four weeks of processing time should be allowed and expected.
The phone number available is 703-784-3941 / 3942 / 3943.
The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
When trying to locate a member of the Marines, their social security number may be required.
In fact, certain information is required for all requests of U.S. Armed Forces locator services.
Such helpful identifying information about the person you wish to locate includes:
- Full name
- Rank
- Last duty assignment
- Last known military address
- Service number
- Social security number
All major USMC commands also have base locators available.
Due to the Privacy Act of 1974 and other military regulations, the Marine Corps is not permitted to provide any home addresses or telephone numbers for service personnel.
In addition, any dissemination of listings of service personnel names and addresses is prohibited.
Understandably, such regulations are in place to protect individual service members from any commercial exploitation.
This is also a means of respecting privacy rights for Marines and other military personnel.
For assistance with military verification, you can contact officials of the Defense Manpower Data Center.
Their telephone number is 703-696-6762.
#4. Together We Served
Together We Served (TWS) is a website that was originally set up as a USMC locator for the Marine Corps in 2003.
Later, TWS included other branches of the U.S. military: the Navy, Air Force, Army, and Coast Guard.
Together We Served is designed as a search engine to locate Marines and other veterans.
This allows current and former members of the Marine Corps to reconnect and reunite with fellow USMC members.
TWS also compiles member contributions such as photographs, profiles, and shared experiences to form a historical archive for Marines and other service members.
Together We Served’s “Roll of Honor” is a feature for a personalized online memorial.
This is beneficial for families who have lost loved ones in the Marine Corps or other military service.
Profiles can be created for living Marines as well as those who have passed.
As a free to join service, TWS offers an online community to honor all those who have served in the Marine Corps.
Members are encouraged to share their history and stories for preservation.
Online registration requires the following information:
- First name
- Last name
- Email address
- Service branch affiliation
This Marine Corps personnel locator and directory has over two million members.
The website offers pages for over 150,000 specific U.S. military units, past and present, including:
- Assigned unit members
- Unit patches
- Unit history
- Related photographs
- Upcoming unit reunions
If you wish to find fellow Marines, Together We Served is an excellent resource as a Marine Corps locator.
In addition, TWS provides an opportunity for Marines to add to an authentic, collective military history by sharing personal stories of USMC service.
Creating your own profile and adding your experience to the TWS online archive, you can inspire others to join and reconnect with fellow Marine veterans.
#5. National Archives
National Archives is another option to find a Marine by name, and is managed by the U.S. government.
It houses a collection of documents that record important information and historical events in America.
The agency responsible for maintaining and preserving such material is the National Archives and Records Administration.
This head agency also makes these records available for research so that anyone can use this service.
It costs $1.00 per person for online reservations to use the National Archives services.
However, admission is free to visit National Archives museum exhibits and libraries.
It is important to know that the National Personnel Records Center cannot release personal information.
This includes any data related to a Marine Corps veteran or military service member of any other branch.
However, the National Archives catalog collects and preserves a variety of information related to the USMC.
This includes military records, photos, and documents.
Such information is available to Marine veterans, their families, and Marine Corps researchers as well.
AAD System
The National Archives operates through the AAD System (Access to Archival Databases).
This allows people to search and access databases, electronic, and computerized records.
Some of the Marine Corps records available include:
- Enlistment records
- Casualty reports
- Prisoner of war data
- Other relevant veteran and military records
New and updated records are continually added to AAD.
This agency, however, is unable to provide information for Marine Corps personnel still serving on active duty status.
Instead, the records represent former USMC members that have been separated from military service due to discharge, release from service, retirement, and so on.
Each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Marine Corps, does feature an office that can help locate active service personnel.
The National Archives cannot directly provide any personal or identifying information for Marines, veterans, or military members, even upon request.
However, this agency offers a wide variety and large volume of relevant USMC records and historical information.
This can be beneficial for those searching for further data regarding U.S. Marine Corps events and history.
See Also
7 Ways To Find Someone In The Military
Find Military Friends: 5 Great Ways To Locate Veteran Buddies
Born and raised in Woodbridge, NJ, he graduated from the New Jersey Institute Of Technology with an MBA in eCommerce.His hobbies include beach volleyball, target shooting, and lifting.
Rob is also a Commercially rated pilot and Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), with over 1,500 hours of flight time.
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