I'm searching information on my missing father, who is a vet. We lost contact in the early 1980s. Any suggestions on how to go about this?

Amanda Carmel O'Neal (Rodriguez) — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 14:21:08 -0500

Baltazar Rodriguez-Gutierrez, aka Luis
He was Army and at Camp Gary Owens in 1982.

Response by SSG Robert Webster made Nov 10 at 2020 2:31 PM

SSG Robert Webster — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 14:31:20 -0500

What is the Fort Bragg link?

Response by COL David Turk made Nov 10 at 2020 3:39 PM

COL David Turk — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 15:39:34 -0500

Sometimes signing up at one of the DNA testing sites (23 & Me, ancestry.com, etc.) provides previously unknown contacts. Do a search on military oriented websites such as military.com, and this one. Some of the military related organizations, such as the DAV, publish monthly magazines which contain a page or two of “looking for”. Last, the more info you have on him the better;e.g., his military specialty, his approximate age, any other duty stations and/or domiciles, and if you know any of his “buddies”. Good luck!

Response by Amanda Carmel O'Neal (Rodriguez) made Nov 10 at 2020 3:52 PM

Amanda Carmel O'Neal (Rodriguez) — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 15:52:53 -0500

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/47291313/person/ [login to see] /facts

facts

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 10 at 2020 4:23 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 16:23:56 -0500

Amanda Carmel O'Neal (Rodriguez) This site might help. it mentions a two week free trial:

https://www.myheritage.com/search-records?keyword=war&utm_source=ppc_bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mh_bing-search_us_en_des_sup_broad_military&utm_content= [login to see] &utm_term=look+up+military+records&tr_camp_id=53885625&tr_ad_group=military_records_general&tr_ag_id= [login to see] &tr_device=c&tr_account=B004N5L2&utm_source=ppc_bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mh_bing-search_us_en_des_sup_broad_military&utm_content= [login to see] &utm_term=look+up+military+records&tr_camp_id=53885625&tr_ad_group=military_records_general&tr_ag_id= [login to see] &tr_device=c&tr_account=B004N5L2&gclid=69ed635cd8eb11e7d8183cf7dd8e8a62&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=69ed635cd8eb11e7d8183cf7dd8e8a62

Search Military Records and Much More! - MyHeritage

Response by SP5 Richard Welch made Nov 10 at 2020 5:19 PM

SP5 Richard Welch — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 17:19:51 -0500

You can contact Pentagon directly if you have his social security number,etc. You may have to prove your relationship to him to recieve information. If last contact was in 1982, it may be difficult to find him. You may want to post a query on this site asking for information with rank,etc on it.

Response by CPT Andrew Wright made Nov 10 at 2020 9:57 PM

CPT Andrew Wright — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 21:57:49 -0500

As a family member you should be able to send an SF-180 to the National Archives in St. Louis to request copies of his service records. They might provide some additional information to help fill in some blanks (Service Number etc.). Next step I would try is send a Freedom of Information request to the Veterans Administration. Plenty of veterans from that era are drawing VA Disability and their reply might be useful. Best of Luck!

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Nov 11 at 2020 1:41 PM

SGM Bill Frazer — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 13:41:17 -0500

Have you checked "Together We Served"? its free.

Response by 2LT Juan Asturias made Sep 23 at 2023 5:20 PM

2LT Juan Asturias — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 17:20:15 -0400

Start with the red cross and his social security.