Missing in action

Missing in action (MIA) refers to a soldier who is reported to have gone missing during active service. The soldier may have been killed, injured, captured or deserted. It is not known what happened to them. If they are dead, neither their body nor grave can be found or identified. Going missing in action has been a risk for people in armed forces for as long as there has been war.

World War II

According to the US Dept of Defense as of December 30, 2021:

MIAS-North America: 2,359
MIAS-South America: 646
MIAS-Europe: 20,908
MIAS-Middle East: 16
MIAS-Africa: 984
MIAS-Asia/Pacific: 47,063
Total of MIA US Servicemen/civilians: 72,350 ^[1]

According to official US Department of Army and Department of Navy casualty records, submitted to Congress in 1946 and updated in 1953, the combined possible total of missing service personnel worldwide is closer to approximately 6600 and probably considerably fewer. Since DPAA alone designates such WWII personnel as the crew of the USS Arizona and most of that of USS Oklahoma as both "missing" and "unaccounted-for" it is possible that DPAA records keeping may be somewhat idiosyncratic.

Korean War

US Department of Defense Loss concentrations maps estimation of US MIAS/POWS as being lost in North Korea in 1954^[2] and in 2017.^[3]
Location	1954	2017
POW CAMPS	1,200-1,273	883-1,200^[4]
Unsan/Chongchan area	1,109-1,559	1,294-1,549 ^[5]
DMZ	89	1,000
UN Cemeteries	266 ^[6]	[233]^[7]
Chosin Reservoir area	523-1,002	598-1,079^[8]
Suan Camps	0	185
Totals	3,260-4,116	3,960-3,828^[9]^[10]

According to the US Dept of Defense as of December 30,2021: Total of MIA US Servicemen: 7,550 ^[11]^[12]

Vietnam War

According to the US Dept of Defense as of December 30,2021: Total of MIA US Servicemen/Civilians: 1,584^[11]

Cold War

According to the US Dept of Defense as of December 30, 2021:

MIAS-Asia/Pacifc 108
MIAS-europe 8
MIAS-Gulf Wars/Middle East: 5
MIAS-El Dorado Canyon/Africa: 1

Total of MIA Servicemen: 126^[13]

As of December 30,2021 Total US MIAS World War II to present: 81,616 ^[14]

Related pages

References

↑ 30,2021 Accessed December 31,2021
↑ Department of Defense map of North Korea with estimated loss concentrations." dpaa.mil. Retrieved: December 17, 2015.
↑ Department of Defense map of North Korea with estimated loss concentrations." dpaa. mil. March 20,2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
↑ Apex (270);Camp 5 (322}; Death Valley Camp {250); Valley #1 {41}
↑ Unsan {250}; Kuryong {176}; Kujang {276}; Kunuri {403}; Pyongyang Cemetery {184}
↑ {Koto-Ri; Hungnam; Wonsam; Pyongyang}
↑ As of 2017 Pyongyang and Hungnam UN Cemeteries totals Listed under Unsan/Chongchan and Chosin Reservoir areas
↑ Yudamni {196}; Sinhung {100};Twiggae {223}; Kotori Cemetery {30}; Hungnam Cemetery {49}
↑ On June 19, 2018 Fox News reported North Korea to send to US remains of up to 200 American Service members.Conservative Forum quoting Fox news Archived 2018-06-23 at the Wayback Machine
↑ Update 1 US MIA was returned from South Korea and likewise 55 boxes of remains were returned from North Korea July 27,2018. Update August 19,2018
↑ ^11.0 ^11.1 "Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency > Our Missing > Past Conflicts". www.dpaa.mil. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
↑ The Dpaa.mil map of casualites gives total as 7,550-the PMKOR lower Number "Reflects actual number still unaccounted-for. PMKOR database count is slightly higher due to several entries pending administrative review. DPAA.mil"[1] Archived 2019-03-28 at the Wayback Machine
↑ DPAA 2021-30-12 accessed December 31,2021
↑ DPAA 2021-01-12. Accessed December 31, 2021

Other websites

DoD Instruction 1300.18 Archived 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine "Personnel Casualty Matters, Policies, and Procedures" From the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, January 8, 2008
Graphic photos showing recovery of missing Russian soldiers' remains dating from the Second World War
U.S.-Russia Joint MIA/POW Commission Archived 2007-10-06 at the Wayback Machine
Report of the State Senate Committee on POW/MIA Affairs at the Library of Congress
Current status of MIA's from the Vietnam War
Blog covers Widow’s travels to Vietnam in search of her MIA husband’s jet crash site in Que Son Mtns Archived 2014-03-08 at the Wayback Machine

[1] 30,2021 Accessed December 31,2021

[2] Department of Defense map of North Korea with estimated loss concentrations." dpaa.mil. Retrieved: December 17, 2015.

[3] Department of Defense map of North Korea with estimated loss concentrations." dpaa. mil. March 20,2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017.

[4] Apex (270);Camp 5 (322}; Death Valley Camp {250); Valley #1 {41}

[5] Unsan {250}; Kuryong {176}; Kujang {276}; Kunuri {403}; Pyongyang Cemetery {184}

[6] {Koto-Ri; Hungnam; Wonsam; Pyongyang}

[7] As of 2017 Pyongyang and Hungnam UN Cemeteries totals Listed under Unsan/Chongchan and Chosin Reservoir areas

[8] Yudamni {196}; Sinhung {100};Twiggae {223}; Kotori Cemetery {30}; Hungnam Cemetery {49}

[9] On June 19, 2018 Fox News reported North Korea to send to US remains of up to 200 American Service members.Conservative Forum quoting Fox news Archived 2018-06-23 at the Wayback Machine

[10] Update 1 US MIA was returned from South Korea and likewise 55 boxes of remains were returned from North Korea July 27,2018. Update August 19,2018

[dpaamil-11] 11.0 ^11.1 "Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency > Our Missing > Past Conflicts". www.dpaa.mil. Retrieved December 31, 2021.

[12] The Dpaa.mil map of casualites gives total as 7,550-the PMKOR lower Number "Reflects actual number still unaccounted-for. PMKOR database count is slightly higher due to several entries pending administrative review. DPAA.mil"[1] Archived 2019-03-28 at the Wayback Machine

[13] DPAA 2021-30-12 accessed December 31,2021

[14] DPAA 2021-01-12. Accessed December 31, 2021

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]