If you, like me, are searching for truth, family, or belonging, know this: you are not alone. Many children of service members — in the U.S. and worldwide — grew up in silence, secrecy, or separation. Some of us never knew our fathers or mothers because of military life, affairs, or the unspoken rules of honor and shame. But truth has a way of rising.

Here are places to begin:
– Military Personnel Records (NPRC)
– Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
– Fold3.com / Ancestry.com
– Military.com Buddy Finder
– DNA Testing (AncestryDNA, 23andMe, FamilyTreeDNA)
– American Red Cross – Services to the Armed Forces
– Local Probate Court

Encouragement: The road may be hard. People may deny you. Records may ‘go missing.’ But truth has endurance. Keep asking, keep searching, keep standing in your own name.