The Selective Service System maintains a vast records repository. Changes to the system and the information publicly available are constantly in motion. The information below is from the government website and is current as of 2007. It covers how to get information from the service. Almost all male U.S. citizens, and male aliens living in the U.S., who are 18 through 25, are required to register with Selective Service. Certain qualifiers (or disqualifiers) apply for special circumstances.
The system is designed to preserve American’s ability to provide manpower to the U.S. Armed Forces in an emergency. The Service keeps records on men currently registered. Records for men born before 1960 are held at the National Archives. The Service now maintains records in accordance with the Privacy Act – therefore no information will be available on address, phone, or social without the written consent of the registrant. Here are some tips below but before you check them, know that some county records are also available in some main libraries.
| AN INDIVIDUAL’S SELECTIVE SERVICE NUMBER
To obtain your own, or someone else’s, Selective Service number, call Selective Service at (847) 688-6888. Your call will be answered by an automated voice processing system. You must know the individual’s social security number and date of birth to use this system. WORLD WIDE WEB HOMEPAGE - http://www.sss.gov Information available on the Selective Service System’s Web site includes: the Agency’s Annual Reports to Congress (from 1996 to present), answers to “Frequently Asked Questions,” how to register, what happens if a man doesn’t register, what happens if there is a draft, and additional publications. An online registration form is also available. INDUCTION STATISTICS AND OTHER HISTORICAL INFORMATION Some of this information is available on the Selective Service’s Web site at http://www.sss.gov. More detailed information is made available to the public in the Selective Service System’s Annual Reports to Congress, which have been issued annually or semiannually since 1940. These are available at Federal Depository Libraries nationwide. Ask your local library for the address of a Federal Depository Library nearest you. FOIA REGULATIONS AND ANNUAL REPORT Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations can be found in 36 CFR 1662. A copy can be obtained by writing to: Selective Service System Records of registrants who were born on or before March 29, 1957* Classification Record Description: Shows a registrant’s name, local board number, his classifications, and the dates he received the classifications. A registrant’s classification usually indicates whether or not he was drafted. How to Obtain a Copy: The classification record is public information, which is available to anyone who asks for it. Requesters must provide the registrant’s full name, date of birth, and address at the time of registration (usually when the registrant was 18 years old). Write to: National Archives & Records Administration Members of the news media should also write to the National Archives. Registration Card Description: Shows a registrant’s name, date of birth, home address, and Selective Service registration number. A registration card may include additional information like a phone number and/or marital status. How to Obtain a Copy: The registration card is protected under the Privacy Act. To obtain a copy, a requester must be the registrant himself or show written permission from the registrant. If the registrant is deceased, provide a copy of the registrant’s death certificate. Also provide the registrant’s full name, date of birth, and address (including county, if known) at the time of registration. Write to: National Archives & Records Administration Records of registrants who were born on or after January 1, 1960 Registration Card Description: Shows a registrant’s name, date of birth, home address, phone number, social security number, and Selective Service registration number. How to Obtain a Copy: The registration card is protected under the Privacy Act. To obtain a copy, a requester must be the registrant himself, or show written permission from the registrant, or provide proof that the registrant is deceased. A caller may verify that a man is registered and/or obtain a registrant’s Selective Service number and the date he registered by calling Selective Service at (847) 688-6888 and providing the registrant’s social security number and date of birth. The information may also be obtained by writing to: Selective Service System * Men born from March 29, 1957, through December 31, 1959, were never required to register because the registration program was not in operation at the time they turned 18. The requirement to register was reinstated in 1980, and applies to all men born on or after January 1, 1960. |
