How to Verify Someone's Military Service/branch?

Random question. I've heard some stories about people lying about their military service and am curious. How would one go about verifying someone's branch of service in the military? What steps should be taken to confirm if someone genuinely served or not? Not planning to use this in a harmful way, just generally curious.

It's a reasonable question. There are legitimate ways to verify someone's military service if necessary. Generally, the process involves filing a request with the National Archives' National Personnel Records Center (NPRC).

The NPRC is tasked with maintaining records of military personnel, health, and medical records of discharged and deceased veterans in the U.S. military. A request can be filed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or the Privacy Act. These acts allow certain military service information to be released without needing the service member's permission, such as their name, rank, salary, awards and decorations, duty status, and duty assignments.

However, understand that the FOIA has limitations. Some personal details, such as home addresses, social security numbers, and dates of birth, will be redacted for privacy purposes.

Do keep in mind that this process should be approached with respect for the person's privacy and only undertaken if there's a legitimate need.

A quicker, albeit less official, way could be to ask the individual for their DD Form 214. This document, issued upon a military service member's retirement, separation, or discharge from active duty, gives a complete record of their service. However, this approach requires their agreement and should be done tactfully.

Lastly, understand that Stolen Valor is a federal crime in the United States. So while it's possible some people might misrepresent their military service for personal gain, they can face legal repercussions if discovered.