I've been trying to find an old friend in the military, anyone know how to go about it?

[ReadTomPaine]

It's been close to 20 years since we've spoken and all I have is his name & last known state of residence.

Any tips for getting in touch with active or retired service members?

[NightWatcher]

1. try zabasearch.com

it's frighteningly accurate, especially if the name is uncommon

[ReadTomPaine]

4. I've used most of the standard online search methods...

including zaba, white pages etc to no avail. His name is fairly common, so I was hoping some sort of military search or provided service would yield more conclusive results..

[BOSSHOG]

5. Welcome Nightwatcher

and thanks for the assist.

[NightWatcher]

8. thanks for the welcome

I was turned on by a friend who wastes days at a time on here

[niyad]

10. welcome to DU--only, we don't consider time spent here WASTED, you know--for many of us, DU is what

helps keep us sane in a very surrealistic world.

[BOSSHOG]

11. Lets not attempt

to run the new members off before they get their feet wet. I do so enjoy DU but I could be doing other things at times. It has somewhat of an addictive quality.

[NightWatcher]

13. he said that you guys were better than crack

and more addictive

[Sammy Pepys]

2. Google your division...

There are lots of "alumni" groups out there.

[ReadTomPaine]

14. An alumni group search is a great idea, thanks! n/t

[BOSSHOG]

3. This might help teammate

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/locatorservices/

Also google - "military locator services."

I get a Navy Retiree magazine once a month and they have a locator column in it. Some are incredible.

Looking for SN John Doe. we were in bootcamp together in 43. Please contact XYZ. I see myself doing that in the future.

[ReadTomPaine]

7. Thank you for the link! n/t

[Ganja Ninja]

15. If you're ex-navy most of the ships have veterans associations.

You can google the name of the ship and see if anything pops up.

[kestrel91316]

6. If you PM me with his name, address, and anything else you

have like approximate age and where he was born, I'll check the ancestry.com database for you. Also, mane of spouse or other family members if known.

[paparush]

9. On a semi-related note: How to find former military service mates?

I'm 40. I barely new my biological father. I DO know he served a tour in Vietnam.

Anyone know how I might go about finding out info on where he served or who he might have served with? I know he was a door gunner on a supply helicopter.

[BOSSHOG]

12. Give this a try

google - "military locator services." Good luck in your search. I bet there's a whole bunch of info for you out there. You'll just have to dig awhile.