We deal quite a bit with replies to FOIA inquiries concerning military records here at TAH.\u00a0 They\u2019re a tool that TAH uses to \u201cout\u201d military phonies and prove them to be damned liars.<\/p>\n
But for many the FOIA process is somewhat of a mystery.\u00a0 So I decided I\u2019d write a short series of articles on the FOIA request process \u2013 a brief \u201chow to\u201d, if you like.<\/p>\n
Why now and not earlier?\u00a0 While Jonn was a National Archives employee, as he stated elsewhere he intentionally stayed out of the FOIA business.\u00a0 He also intentionally remained ignorant of the FOIA process.\u00a0 That way, no one could accuse him of using nonpublic information, “inside contacts”, or similar unethical conduct.\u00a0 Posting a FOIA “How To” on the site would have simply been wrong under those conditions.\u00a0 So prior to a few days ago I’d not written this article and the ones to follow.<\/p>\n
That’s no longer the case.\u00a0 I\u2019ve now got the \u201cgreen light\u201d from Jonn to post these articles here at TAH.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not saying that what I’m going to describe in these articles is the only or best way to do FOIA requests, or that I’m a expert in the area.\u00a0 But what I\u2019m going to describe seems to work fairly well for me.<\/p>\n
Why?\u00a0 Simple.\u00a0 The more people who know how to do a FOIA request relating to military records, the greater chance we have of seeing those who make false claims concerning their military records get \u201cbusted\u201d.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a good thing.<\/p>\n
What will follow is a series of six articles.\u00a0 The first follows immediately; the remainder will follow over the next few days.<\/p>\n
Intro:\u00a0 FOIA?\u00a0 What\u2019s that?<\/span><\/p>\n FOIA stands for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)<\/a>.\u00a0 That law, passed in 1967, essentially states that with certain exceptions the public has the right to know information held by the Federal government.\u00a0 Essentially, if information in the possession of the Federal government isn’t PII and isn’t covered by one of the FOIA’s exceptions or classified, at least in theory that information can be obtained by the public on request<\/em>.<\/p>\n A substantial amount of information in a person’s military record is considered public record information releasable under the FOIA.\u00a0 While a veteran’s complete military record can only be released with his or her consent (or, if the vet is deceased, with the consent of their next of kin), that’s not the case regarding the public record information in the file.<\/p>\n The items considered public record information in an individual’s military records may be released on request to literally anyone without the veteran’s consent<\/span><\/em>.\u00a0 That public record information generally sufficient to prove whether or not a claim concerning military service is true \u2013 or is a case of stolen valor.\u00a0 This release is fully consistent with, and is not<\/strong> a violation of<\/span>,<\/em> the Privacy Act of 1974 in any way, shape, form, or fashion.<\/p>\n