OUR MISSING Bringing them home with honor


F


rom the depths of the South Pacifi c Ocean to the jungles of India to Alaskan glaciers, the teams of scientists, historians and military personnel that


comprise the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) work to fulfi ll their global mission of locating missing military personnel, repatriating them with honor and returning lost loved ones to their families.


(FRS),” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Natasha Waggoner, Deputy of Public Aff airs for DPAA, based in Hawaii. “Contact your service casualty/mortuary offi ce to learn more about the process of submitting your DNA sample.”


Service casualty offi ces are: • United States Air Force 1-800-531-5501 • United States Army 1-800-892-2490 • United States Marine Corps 1-800-847-1597 • United States Navy 1-800-443-9298 • Department of State 1-202-485-6106


A DPAA mission in Vietnam to recover crew members of a crashed aircraft. Photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Katherine Dodd.


T ey are archeologists, anthropologists, odontologists,


researchers and soldiers who come together on missions all over the world to investigate leads; interview witnesses and collect oral histories from international government and military offi cials; and conduct reconnaissance and survey sites for safety and logistics, all with the purpose of providing the fullest possible accounting of lost personnel. To date, DPAA has identifi ed that more than 82,000


Americans are still unaccounted for from World War II, Korea/Cold War and Vietnam. Of those, some are losses that cannot be recovered because they can’t be accessed or the soldier lost his life under very tragic circumstances. T e rest, about 30,000, the DPAA estimates, can be accounted for. And they need your help to achieve this mission. DNA


from surviving family members is key to identifying missing loved ones. It is technology that simply did not exist when these active-duty troops were lost. “T e best way individuals can help with the


identifi cation of American unknowns from past confl icts is to provide your DNA as a Family Reference Sample


DPAA hosts a repatriation ceremony for unknown service members. Their remains will undergo an examination for SRVVLEOH LGHQWLÀ FDWLRQ Department of Defense photo by MC2 Aiyana Paschal.


What is now the DPAA dates back to 1973. It is


headquartered in Washington, D.C., with an operational offi ce in Hawaii and satellite labs in Nebraska and Ohio.


AC For more information about the DPAA, visit www.dpaa.mil.


“T e DPAA is dedicated to accounting for our missing, and when possible, bringing them home,” Waggoner said. “We are equally dedicated to providing a voice to their stories of service and sacrifi ce, and sharing that information with families and the nation. T ese unaccounted Americans made the ultimate sacrifi ce and it is important as a nation that we never forget them and to also serve as a reminder to our current military members that we will never leave a comrade behind.”


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