Need help tracking down my parents info.

April 16, 2009 4:22 PM

I want to join the US Navy as an officer...but have run into a few barriers. I need help!

I'm putting my package together for the Navy OCS program and overall I feel that I am a strong candidate and paint a good picture of myself for the selection board. However I've run into a slight problem:

Part of the application process entails a background check. I've got nothing to hide but it asks for my parents immigrant status. My father is a naturalized citizen and my mother is a permanent resident alien. I need to know their registration numbers, courts, counties, and dates of registry.

The problem here is that I'm estranged from both parents and have not had contact with them in over ten years.

Are there any background check services that can gather this info for me? I would appreciate any answers that don't involve the "tough love" and "man up" route (which is what my recruiter basically told me). For personal reasons, I do not want to open old wounds and would like to consider all possible avenues to obtain this information.

Again, any help will be appreciated.

posted by cusr0002 to human relations (9 comments total)

Could you just retain a lawyer to send these less-than-wonderful folks a strongly-worded "hey, your child requires this information as part of officer candidate selection for the US Navy" note?

I'm not a lawyer. Any time I needed information from my less-than-wonderful ex for taxes or whatnot, I sent his lawyer a professional and short note asking for it and it worked pretty well.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 4:29 PM on April 16

Form G-1041 might work if you know the approximate entry dates.
posted by sanko at 4:36 PM on April 16

I don't think that there is a work-around for this. Once you are accepted and become active, you'll be asked for this info again every time you try to attain various security clearances and classifications.

As an officer, I really can't think of a situation in which you'll be able to advance in your career without this info.

Sorry if this is a bummer and not a great answer.

(Once you get through this, and you WILL Midshipman, look me up down here in San Diego.)
posted by snsranch at 4:46 PM on April 16

Are there any background check services that can gather this info for me? I missed this part! Sorry!
posted by snsranch at 4:52 PM on April 16

Sanko's Form G-1041 looks like it might be a winner but if you can't get the info that way, I'd recommend either asking to speak to the security officer at the recruiting command or calling the DoD Security Services Center hotline [phone]) and asking them for advice on how to proceed. Your recruiter is probably not an expert on this stuff so drive it up the chain of command until you get a real answer.

In general, the advice I've gotten over the years is, if you don't know put UNKNOWN and put a brief explanation in the comments. Remember that the key to the SF-86 (or whatever they're calling the electronic version of the form these days) is to be completely honest - it's as much an exercise in self reporting as anything else.

People get all wrapped around the axle on the SF-86 - but it really comes down to being able to sign it and really mean the signing statement about it being " true, complete, and correct".
posted by macfly at 6:21 PM on April 16

Yeah, I just did my 10-year reinvestigation. When filling out the SF-86, you can check the box that's conveniently labeled "I do not know this information." That makes the remarks block mandatory, and you just put what you wrote in this question. It's not that big a deal.
posted by ctmf at 4:41 AM on April 17

Do you hav a sib or some other relative who could get this info for you?
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 9:26 AM on April 17

I know you don't want to hear this, but:

I know a guy of 90 who grew up in an orphanage. The visit to see his Mom to get her to sign his Navy application is still a landmark 75 years on. It wasn't the start of a great relationship (or any at all), but it was just a bit more info and feeling about where he came from. That has mattered increasingly to him in later years.
posted by Idcoytco at 9:26 AM on April 17

I'm not sure if this info is available via public records searches, but you can always try using that to find the info you need. Often times, they just need the full name and possibly birth date to pull up information.

If you're in need, it could be worth a shot. No idea as to what services are better or not, but I'd recommend doing research using RipOff Report and BBB.
posted by TailtheWeb at 3:47 PM on July 21