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HELPFULL INFORMATION

Below are listed the various ways we know to contact lost buddies and other information we feel might be helpful to those of us not actively connected to the Marine Corps. We hope they will be of help to you. We also appreciate any suggestions or information you may have that would add to the value of this page.

CONTACTING RETIRED MARINES

The Marine Corps will not give out the address of retired Marines; however, it has a mail forwarding service that can be useful provided you have the correct name of the retiree and, hopefully, his or her service number. The forwarding service can identify mail addressed to an officer far easier than one addressed to an enlisted Marine simply because of the size of the data base for the two groups. Further, a great deal depends on the name of the individual one is attempting to reach. The service can identify a retiree quickly if they have an uncommon name plus some other information such as approximate dates of service or date of retirement, etc. Personnel with common names, such as Smith, Jones, Johnson, etc., are extremely difficult to identify without their service number unless they have an extremely rare first name and fairly accurate period of service or date of retirement.

Instructions:

Write a letter to the retiree you want to contact. Seal it in a stamped envelope with only his or her known rank and name, (first name, middle initial and last name), shown on the envelope. The forwarding service will then complete the address if it can identify the individual you seek. Also Include your return address on the envelope so that your letter will be returned to you if not deliverable.

Write a letter to the Commandant of the Marine Corps at the below address. In it provide data that will help identify the retired Marine. The individual's service number (which has been their Social Security Number since about 1969) is the best identification. Include any service number that you know the individual had prior to 1969. Include such information as Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), approximate dates of service, approximate date of retirement, last known address, and anything else you think might help identify the retiree you are trying to contact.

Place the envelope containing your letter to the retiree and your letter to the Commandant in an envelope addressed to:

Commandant of the Marine Corps
Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps(MMSR-6)
3280 RUSSELL ROAD
Quantico, VA 22134-5103

LEATHERNECK MAGAZINE'S MAIL CALL SERVICE

When wanting to correspond with Marines, an individual may request that only his or here name (and no other) appears. All requests must be printed legibly or typed. Allow two to three months for publication. Correspondence unsigned by the writer will not be used. Mail requests to:

Mail Call Editor

P.O. Box 1775

Quantico, VA 22134

"Former Marine Rodney J. Zilch, 2213 Main St, Anytown, VA 99999 to hear from fellow members of Recruit Platoon 43, PI 1946."
"Donald I. Scuttlebutt, P.O. Box 2828, Oceanside, CA 92054 to locate former Marine Emil Smokestack who enlisted about 1960 and served at Camp Pendleton."
"Retired MSgt Sidney Oldtimer, 853 Sheridan Rd, Uniontown, OK 93939 to hear from MGySgt Edwin Shrunk who served with him in 1/5 in Korea."
"Arthur VanBeveren, P.O. Box 83, Sometown, CA 92222 would like to hear from anyone who served with his father, Emil VanBeveren who served with E/2/1/1 in Korea in 1950."
Note: E/2/1/1 is short for "company/battalion/regiment/division." So E/2/1/1 converts to E Company, 2nd Battalion, lst Regiment, lst Marine Division.

NATION WIDE PHONE BOOKS ON CD-ROMS

We see numerous advertisements offering to research names at a cost of $15 per name. This is a good deal if one is searching for only one or two individuals with uncommon names.
Pro CD has a toll free number 1-800-992-3766 for placing credit card orders. Regular retail price varies and is about $100.

TIPS

Before you invest in a phone book CD-ROM you might check with your local library. Many carry phone books for major metropolitan areas. In addition, many of the larger libraries have computers and phone book programs you can use for free. It is worth checking out.
If searching for someone with two capitals in their last names, e.g., DeMarco, try both "DEMARCO" and "DE MARCO."
Same for those with names like "O'Connor, try "OCONNOR" and "O'CONNOR."
Lots of the clerks who type in the names for the phone data bases will abbreviate first names, especially if the last name is long. So if you are searching for a William Higganbotham be sure and try W'm H...."
If there are very few listings for a last name but no match on the first name then try "Bill" for a "William," "Bob" for a "Robert," "Sam" for a "Samuel," "Ed" for an "Edward," etc. Also try initials.
We found that sending letters was an expensive and time-consuming way to make contact. A phone call is quick and only costs pennies when you contact the wrong person. It does run up a fairly large bill if it is the person you are looking for but it is sure worth the money.
We recommend searching for someone with a common last name who has an unusual first name. If you are searching for a retired military person with a totally common name it often pays to review the long list of identical names to see if an individual's rank is shown and/or if the individual has an address near a major military installation of his branch of service..