by Before delving into Military Records And Identification, let us first understand why someone would pretend to be army personnel. The US military personnel receive several benefits and facilities. However, these facilities and benefits are provided only during the active working period of a military person, for example, low-interest rates.
Also, since several employers prefer military veterans for certain job posts, there have been cases where the interviewee posed as an ex-army man while he was not. To get such benefits, sometimes one either poses as an active military member and sometimes as a military veteran.
Hence, companies are now more vigilant and first find out if someone is or was in military service as stated before hiring. Therefore, employment and identification verification have become imperative for businesses that hire veteran military personnel and also for companies providing certain perks to active army men.
So, how can one know whether someone is in the military services? Here we have discussed how to find out if someone is in the military service or not.
Check SCRA website
Well, the easiest way to find out if someone is in the military or has served the military service is to check with the Department of Defense ServiceMembers Civil Relief Act or SCRA military verification website. This military verification website has all the information about the status of military personnel, i.e. whether they are still serving in the Army.
For this, first, log on to the SCRA website. To identify military personnel, you must have their Social Security Number or Date of Birth and the last name of the military member.
Once your request is processed, the website will provide you with the SCRA certification showing the active-duty status of the person. This report will also have the active duty start date and active-duty end date, along with the service position of the military member.
Remember, this website will only provide you with information about the active members in the military or those who have left duty in the past 367 days. If you require older data, you must submit the request to the National Personnel Records Center.
Requesting Access To The Military Database Via FOIA
The National Personnel Record Center holds a record of 70 million former military veterans along with those who served in the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. This information is accessible to the public via FOIA or the Freedom of Information Act. This Act allows a normal US citizen to raise a request for accessing the common military database.
To get the information, the individual must submit Form 180. You need to fill in the name of the veteran, their Social Security Number, Date of Birth, branch of the service.
Once you raise the request and the access is granted, you can verify the details of the individual like the areas where he/she has served in the past or is posted presently, the designation, the medals the individual has received, the military rank, and several other such important details. The FOIA method is the safest way because it provides accurate details and maintains transparency between the US Government and the citizens.
Checking and verifying the military ID
When someone is claiming that he/she is still serving as military under the US Defense Department, then they must have a proper ID. This identification card has all the details that you would need to verify. Starting from the designation in the US military department to the dates of acting as a military, every such information will be present on the ID card. So, before believing anyone who says that he/she is a military or has worked as one, ask for the official government ID card. Even if one is a military veteran, he would have a specific ID card he would be eligible for. For example, DD Form 2 (Reserve), DD Form 2 (Retired), DD Form 2 (Reserve Retired), and so on.
Verifying the claims for receiving the commendation medals
A significant percentage of the military individuals receive several commendation medals for doing heroic tasks, saving the country from threats, and for selfless services towards the POTUS and the White House. If someone is claiming that he/she has received the commendation medals like the Medal of Honor or the Purple Medal, you can check the truth of the claim on the official websites.
Using the online military employment service checker tool
There are certain tools available online which you can use to check and verify the employment details of a military. Even though these applications are genuine and give accurate results, you will have to pay a certain fee to fetch the entire employment details, which will have every information related to the military service life of any individual.
Conclusion
No matter which method you choose to verify the military employment details of an individual, make sure you are not violating any kind of Federal rules and regulations. In addition, follow the steps properly and always read the dos and don’ts to find the military records of any person who is claiming he is serving in the US military department. This will certainly save you from the complications that will arise later.
