Posted on Jun 25, 2015
Is the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in over their heads with more than 88,000 MIA service members?
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Leave No One Behind.
The government spends some $100 million annually (as of 2012) in their mission to repatriate the fallen back to American soil. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (formerly JPAC) staffers deploy wherever remains are turned up — in Vietnam, Korea, even Europe. They recover bone fragments and pore over them, using the latest technological analysis to determine who it is.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is staffed by 400 people, including archaeologists and anthropologists and military historians. And they're hiring, following the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act's mandate that by 2015 the agency be capable of 200 identifications a year, or more than twice its current level.
There's considerable work to do. More than 83,000 Americans are unaccounted for from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and earlier conflicts, according to the Department of Defense.
Already under fire for identifying the remains of an average of only 75 MIA’s per year – far short of the congressionally mandated 200 identifications per year – their output dropped to only 55 identifications last year, down from 70 in 2013.
Of the 2014 recoveries JPAC has only found 2 soldiers on their own.
Of the 2014 recoveries JPAC has only participated in the recovery of 5 soldiers.
Of the 2014 identifications, only 7 of them were recovered in the last 10 years.
JPAC's motto was 'Until They Are Home'. But at this rate, the newly formed Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency will have their mission accomplished in 1,510 years. This is by no means an attempt to bash those doing their best in these recovery efforts, but it is meant to show that we have to do more to step up our promise. When I was medically retired, I felt as if I could no longer accomplish my 'mission.' I believe I have found my next calling. Hitomi and I will leave for Guam/Saipan early next year and set up residency. I'm not physically at 100%, but I will give 100% of what I can muster to assist in any way possible.
Respectfully, Uncle Mark.
Sources:
Honolulu Advertiser | Feb 02, 2015 | by William Cole
DPAA website (official). http://www.dpaa.mil/Home.aspx
Return to the Phillipines (2015).Documentary. Steven C. Barber. Narrated by Ed Harris.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/02/02/jpac-folded-into-new-pow-mia-agency.html
The government spends some $100 million annually (as of 2012) in their mission to repatriate the fallen back to American soil. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (formerly JPAC) staffers deploy wherever remains are turned up — in Vietnam, Korea, even Europe. They recover bone fragments and pore over them, using the latest technological analysis to determine who it is.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is staffed by 400 people, including archaeologists and anthropologists and military historians. And they're hiring, following the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act's mandate that by 2015 the agency be capable of 200 identifications a year, or more than twice its current level.
There's considerable work to do. More than 83,000 Americans are unaccounted for from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and earlier conflicts, according to the Department of Defense.
Already under fire for identifying the remains of an average of only 75 MIA’s per year – far short of the congressionally mandated 200 identifications per year – their output dropped to only 55 identifications last year, down from 70 in 2013.
Of the 2014 recoveries JPAC has only found 2 soldiers on their own.
Of the 2014 recoveries JPAC has only participated in the recovery of 5 soldiers.
Of the 2014 identifications, only 7 of them were recovered in the last 10 years.
JPAC's motto was 'Until They Are Home'. But at this rate, the newly formed Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency will have their mission accomplished in 1,510 years. This is by no means an attempt to bash those doing their best in these recovery efforts, but it is meant to show that we have to do more to step up our promise. When I was medically retired, I felt as if I could no longer accomplish my 'mission.' I believe I have found my next calling. Hitomi and I will leave for Guam/Saipan early next year and set up residency. I'm not physically at 100%, but I will give 100% of what I can muster to assist in any way possible.
Respectfully, Uncle Mark.
Sources:
Honolulu Advertiser | Feb 02, 2015 | by William Cole
DPAA website (official). http://www.dpaa.mil/Home.aspx
Return to the Phillipines (2015).Documentary. Steven C. Barber. Narrated by Ed Harris.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/02/02/jpac-folded-into-new-pow-mia-agency.html
Posted in these groups: 
POW/MIA
POW/MIA
Edited 9 y ago
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 10
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I just finished a tour as a Recovery Team Leader with DPAA, formerly JPAC. I could talk for days about the the mission, but I will leave you with this.
We as a nation owe it to each of those 83,000 to do our best to locate, recover, identify, repatriate and ultimately, reunite the remains with families who have been waiting for decades, some more than 70 years. The transition to a defense agency has not been easy, and it is still daunting on those who are still working it. They have been building the aircraft while flying it so to speak.
A lot of people question the amount of money spent to accomplish the mission. It's a lot, but when you understand what goes into each investigation, each recovery and the scientific lab work, not to mention access to all the countries DPAA operates in, it adds up, and adds up quickly. In the end, and in my opinion, you cannot put a price tag on this mission. DPAA does what it needs to do to bring our missing home with the budget they have.
DPAA is trying to get to 200 identifications per year, and when you put that up against the 83k, it really puts it all into perspective, and how long this mission will take. You do have to consider though that a large number of the mission will perhaps never be recovered (deep sea losses etc) while current technology prevents it or reliable information, especially from first hand witnesses diminishes over time. DPAA is also is limited to the number of investigations and recoveries conducted each year by budget, and the availability of deployers.
It is difficult work. From planning to execution, it demands hard work and some long hours while deployed and without a doubt, the most rewarding and honorable assignment in my 27 years so far on active duty.
Until They Are Home!
We as a nation owe it to each of those 83,000 to do our best to locate, recover, identify, repatriate and ultimately, reunite the remains with families who have been waiting for decades, some more than 70 years. The transition to a defense agency has not been easy, and it is still daunting on those who are still working it. They have been building the aircraft while flying it so to speak.
A lot of people question the amount of money spent to accomplish the mission. It's a lot, but when you understand what goes into each investigation, each recovery and the scientific lab work, not to mention access to all the countries DPAA operates in, it adds up, and adds up quickly. In the end, and in my opinion, you cannot put a price tag on this mission. DPAA does what it needs to do to bring our missing home with the budget they have.
DPAA is trying to get to 200 identifications per year, and when you put that up against the 83k, it really puts it all into perspective, and how long this mission will take. You do have to consider though that a large number of the mission will perhaps never be recovered (deep sea losses etc) while current technology prevents it or reliable information, especially from first hand witnesses diminishes over time. DPAA is also is limited to the number of investigations and recoveries conducted each year by budget, and the availability of deployers.
It is difficult work. From planning to execution, it demands hard work and some long hours while deployed and without a doubt, the most rewarding and honorable assignment in my 27 years so far on active duty.
Until They Are Home!
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SFC Mark Merino
The job was advertised on USAjobs under 4 different competitive categories if I remember that far back. It was under caretaker, historian, anthropologist, museum curator. It entailed <25% travel time from Guam to Saipan. It wasn't just a JPAC liason, it was more of a POC should a discovery be made. I applied under historian/curator, but only had a masters degree. I believe they landed an anthropologist so I'm glad they got a quality person, and not just someone who met the basic educational criteria like I did. I'd do it for free. I'm glad that they take volunteers in Europe. That leads me to believe they will in other corners of the world. The University of Guam has an archaeology program and their field work is performed on the islands. Thanks for the good news. If you come across any more intel regarding volunteers, upcoming missions in the pacific, needing someone to do boots on the ground recon without paying for a TDY mission, etc, please shoot me an email. Thanks for making our day.
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Mary Ann Harris
As a POW/MIA family member, I can tell you first hand that more often than not, the great work done by those on the ground is lost once it is passed through the hands of those have a political agenda. They simply don't want certain cases solved because it would make public some of the ugliness and political capital that was protected to keep the truth about what happened to some a secret. This is primarily Vietnam but Korea has its dirty little secrets too. That is why from June 2015-June 2016 only nine Vietnam IDs were made. They are chasing the numbers - the Congressional mandate of 200 IDs a year - and those numbers are found in WWII and some Korean cases that have been sitting around for decades because they didn't want to give credit to other researchers who do their job more efficiently than the DoD. It is a ugly world and the families are the victims. I am sure SFC Merino did outstanding work, the guys on the ground are the real heroes to families.
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CPT Aaron Kletzing
Uncle Mark as the golden "Midas Touch" on RP. Whatever he touches turns to pure gold.
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I don't envy the decision makers who have to put a price tag or resource budget around this mission. My prayers go out to the families waiting and those who are doing the work on a daily basis to bring our military family members home.
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SFC Mark Merino
Amen. The info I got from the documentary was very one sided since the WWII veteran who made it was 94 and part of the Phillipine campaign. He wouldn't accept that even if you sent JPAC the 8 digit grid to a location of a definite remains site, and knew who had died there, that they couldn't just come running. But to his family, who had been suffering for 70 years, the frustrations must have been overwhelming.
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MAJ (Join to see)
We were often approached with information by local nationals, witnesses, or other third parties as to the whereabouts of remains. DPAA has a limited number of available deployable teams. The process by which cases are researched, approved for investigation, then approved for excavation is complex when it comes to prioritizing them, and it doesn't happen over night.
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