Posted on Nov 1, 2015
Good Information or Confusing? A Word of Caution Regarding DPAA’s Korean War “POW/MIA Lists”. From TAH.
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The POW/MIA issue is near and dear to my heart. I thought I understood how they work. This is from This Ain't Hell, a Stolen Valor website. It has a lot of information on how the DPAA works for each war since WWII. I've included the link to the DPAA website if you are interested in looking through their site and read more information about the MIA's.
http://www.dpaa.mil
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has the mission of accounting for those who never came home. And they do a credibly good job IMO of doing so.
However, here’s a caution regarding some of the information on their website.
DPAA maintains publicly-accessible lists of those US personnel still missing from past conflicts going back to World War II. These lists are excellent sources, and seem to be kept reasonably well up-to-date as additional personnel from those conflicts are identified.
These lists are differently structured for World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. A bit of background about each of those lists is essential to understand what the lists are actually telling you. I decided to write this article to give that background.
http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=62516&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thisainthell%2FnTMY+%28This+ain%27t+Hell%2C+but+you+can+see+it+from+here%29
http://www.dpaa.mil
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has the mission of accounting for those who never came home. And they do a credibly good job IMO of doing so.
However, here’s a caution regarding some of the information on their website.
DPAA maintains publicly-accessible lists of those US personnel still missing from past conflicts going back to World War II. These lists are excellent sources, and seem to be kept reasonably well up-to-date as additional personnel from those conflicts are identified.
These lists are differently structured for World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. A bit of background about each of those lists is essential to understand what the lists are actually telling you. I decided to write this article to give that background.
http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=62516&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thisainthell%2FnTMY+%28This+ain%27t+Hell%2C+but+you+can+see+it+from+here%29
Government
POW/MIA
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 2
Thanks for sharing SGT Bodine. This is an important group and vital to our overall mission. SFC Mark Merino knows a bit about this department as well.
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), Assistant Secretary of Defense for International...
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SFC Mark Merino
I just had my world and our plans turned completely turned upside down. Guam/Saipan won't let me put a teaspoon into the ground working with them unless I attend the field craft training prior. That means I am either having to go to the University of Hawaii or Guam prior. If my Japanese was better I could dig all day long with the DPAA sister agency based on Honshu. The caveat is that once they recognize the remains as anything other than Japanese they call in the other agencies. Our war missing is a drop in the bucket compared to theirs.
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SGT (Join to see)
SFC Mark Merino, Those are some of the hang ups endured in these searches. I know it's frustrating,to say the least, but thank you for what you do. I couldn't guess how many Japanese are missing. Hundreds of thousands I would guess.
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SGT (Join to see)
SSG Carlos Madden, All my pleasure. I wish I was more involved in finding our lost Heroes.
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I personally think they under perform. There are 70,000 Americans still missing.
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SGT (Join to see)
I know the searches have been cut back. Mainly because of the costs for the searches. I know in the Vietnam searches, the main problem there is getting land owner permission to dig. Some of them just flat day no. Others want exorbitant amounts of money to dig. Another thing that takes a long time is the DNA. I have a friend found last year with the rest of the crew. As far as I know, they are still doing the DNA to find out who is who. Also, some of the searchers have moved on, so the man power is smaller. Can they move quicker and find more missing? Only if they can get financing and people.
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MAJ Ken Landgren
I read the DNA testing is taking years. VA will have their list, DPAA will have their list.
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SGT (Join to see)
Ken, here's some more information off the DPPA website. Visit if you want to know more.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency's mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel from past conflicts to their families and the nation. Within this mission, we search for missing personnel from World War II (WWII), the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf Wars, and other recent conflicts. Our research and operational missions include coordination with hundreds of countries and municipalities around the world.
As this map shows, at present, more than 83,000 Americans remain missing from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Gulf Wars/other conflicts. Out of the 83,000 missing, 75% of the losses are located in the Asia-Pacific, and over 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at sea (i.e. ship losses, known aircraft water losses, etc.).
Unaccounted for From Past Conflicts
WWII 73,515
Korean War 7,835
Vietnam War 1,626
Cold War 126
Iraq & Other Conflicts 6
Total MIA
83,108
* Reflects actual number still unaccounted-for. PMKOR database count is slightly higher due to several entries pending administrative review.
* Due to limited or conflicting data concerning location of loss for approximately 1% of WWII missing, the above map does not show a total number equal to the list of WWII missing by name elsewhere on this site. As the data from our predecessor organizations is merged and validated all publicly available information will be promptly updated.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency's mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel from past conflicts to their families and the nation. Within this mission, we search for missing personnel from World War II (WWII), the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf Wars, and other recent conflicts. Our research and operational missions include coordination with hundreds of countries and municipalities around the world.
As this map shows, at present, more than 83,000 Americans remain missing from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Gulf Wars/other conflicts. Out of the 83,000 missing, 75% of the losses are located in the Asia-Pacific, and over 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at sea (i.e. ship losses, known aircraft water losses, etc.).
Unaccounted for From Past Conflicts
WWII 73,515
Korean War 7,835
Vietnam War 1,626
Cold War 126
Iraq & Other Conflicts 6
Total MIA
83,108
* Reflects actual number still unaccounted-for. PMKOR database count is slightly higher due to several entries pending administrative review.
* Due to limited or conflicting data concerning location of loss for approximately 1% of WWII missing, the above map does not show a total number equal to the list of WWII missing by name elsewhere on this site. As the data from our predecessor organizations is merged and validated all publicly available information will be promptly updated.
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