DPAA maintains lists of servicemen who are still unaccounted for on various pages of our website. For each conflict, use the links below to search for the name of your loved one.

• WWII
• Korean War
• Vietnam War
• Cold War
• Iraq/Other
• Recently Accounted for

Reasons your loved one may not appear on our list of unaccounted for servicemen:

• He was not involved in a hostile loss. The scope of our mission is to conduct searches, recoveries and identifications of Americans missing from past conflicts due to hostile losses. DPAA will pursue other losses, such as those involving non-hostile losses, only at the request of the service branch associated with the loss incident.
• His remains were returned after the war. The government operated mortuaries throughout the regions in which we fought our past wars. If remains were attributed to your loved one, he would have been identified and buried, without being listed as unaccounted for.
• Some individuals were considered resolved by their respective service branch, who noted that their whereabouts and circumstances of death were known, but that no remains could be recovered.

The NPRC maintains the file of every military member who has served in the US military. You can access information/pull your loved one’s military personnel file from the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, MO.

The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) is responsible for all graves and memorials around the world with the exception of Arlington Cemetery, which is run by the Army. You can type search for your loved one on their website to see where he is memorialized. The ABMC can also provide you an etching or photograph of his name.

Thank you very much for your kind and generous wish to support the POW/MIA effort.

Many have expressed a desire to help DPAA provide the fullest possible accounting for the approximately 82,000 missing Department of Defense personnel from the Nation’s past conflicts to their families and the Nation.

Section 523 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 amended Title 10, U.S. Code § 1501a to authorize the Secretary of Defense to accept and use gifts of money, property, or services made on the condition that the gift be used for the purpose of facilitating accounting for missing persons pursuant to Title 10, U.S. Code § 1501(a).

This authority has been delegated to the Director, DPAA.

If you are interested in making a non-cash monetary gift (check or money order) please email donations@dpaa.mil and briefly describe the gift, its value, any cost that DPAA may incur if the gift was accepted, and any conditions on use of the gift.

A DPAA representative will respond to your email.
 

The POW/MIA logo has never been trademarked; anyone can use it on their products and DPAA does not manage or oversee its use. The National League of POW/MIA Families, who designed and developed the logo, made a conscious decision to not pursue a copyright so that the design--and the mission it stands for--would get the broadest possible dissemination and recognition.

If you want to learn more about the design and background, you can visit the National League of Families website

This is a ceremony to honor military and civilians who have been prisoners of war or who have gone missing in action that can be conducted at POW/MIA or similar events. DPAA did not create and does not manage the ceremony. A good description of the specific ceremony is available on the internet or at the National League of POW/MIA Families website .

The Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) is one of the most commonly used records for conducting WWII research. The best source of information for details of your loss is the Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF). The IDPF is a record created by the service branch for each individual uniformed service member killed while serving. It contains circumstances surrounding the serviceman's death, efforts undertaken to conduct search & recovery, positive identification, preparation of remains for final disposition, arrangements for mortuary/final services, military honors, and burial.

Please note that certain information in these records are subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Privacy Exemption b(6). Third party social security numbers & addresses must be redacted prior to release (as applicable). If you are a family member, you can request a copy of this record (at no cost to you) by contacting your missing loved one's service branch casualty office.

If you are not a family member, you may request a copy of an IDPF through the National Archives at St. Louis. You can visit their public research room at Archives Drive (314-801-0950). Appointments are necessary Tuesday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. There are no costs to view records or scan/photograph with your approved equipment. You may also decide to write for a photocopy of a record at: National Archives at St. Louis, P.O. Box 37587. St. Louis, MO 63138. Fax: 314-801-9187, Email: STLArchives@nara.gov. They will bill you for the materials if necessary.

We post civilian jobs periodically on the USA JOBS site. Please note that if no announcements are active you will not get any hits. I recommend you set up saved searches on that site so you can be automatically notified about any new positions being advertised by DPAA.

We currently have a general volunteer program through the Red Cross. To find out more about how to become a volunteer with DPAA through our partnership with the Red Cross, please visit http://www.redcross.org/support/volunteer.

We are also in the process of establishing a new volunteer program and expect to have it in place this summer (2016). Please feel free to check our website for updates.

The Individual Deceased Personnel File records of American servicemen form WWII are maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) at their facility in College Park, MD. Likewise, NARA maintains the files of all US servicemen that have ever served at their facility in St Louis, MO. Family members can request a copy of this record (at no cost to you) by contacting your missing loved one’s service branch casualty office. You may also wish to visit their public research room at Archives Drive (314-801-0850). Appointments are necessary Tuesday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. There are no costs to view records or scan/photograph with your approved equipment. You may also decide to write for a photocopy of a record at: National Archives at St. Louis, P.O. Box 37587, St. Louis, MO 63138, Fax: 314-801-9187, Email: STL.Archives@nara.gov. They will bill you for the materials if necessary. Check out their website.

If you are not a family member, you may request a copy of an Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) through the National Archives at St. Louis. You can visit their public research room at Archives Drive (314-801-0850). Appointments are necessary Tuesday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. There are no costs to view records or scan/photograph with your approved equipment.

You may also decide to write for a photocopy of a record at: National Archives at St. Louis, P.O. Box 37587, St. Louis, MO 63138, Fax: 314-801-9187, Email: STL.Archives@nara.gov. They will bill you for the materials if necessary. For more information, check out their website at: https://aad.archives.gov/aad/series-description.jsp?s=644 or https://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/.

Our agency is serviced by the Office of the Secretary of Defense FOIA office. Please submit your FOIA Request to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Joint Staff FOIA Requester Service Center at: http://www.esd.whs.mil/FOID/Submit-Request.

A good source of information for details of your loved one’s loss is a record called the Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF). The IDPF is a record created by the service branch for each individual uniformed service member killed while serving. It contains circumstances surrounding the serviceman's death, efforts undertaken to conduct search & recovery, positive identification, preparation of remains for final disposition, arrangements for mortuary/final services, military honors, and burial.

These files exist for all casualties of WWII and are housed at the National Personnel Records Center (WNRC ) in Suitland, MD.

Please note that certain information in these records are subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Privacy Exemption b(6). Third party social security numbers and addresses must be redacted prior to release (as applicable).

If you are a family member, you can request a copy of this record (at no cost to you) by contacting your missing loved one’s service branch casualty office.

If you are not a family member, you may request a copy of an IDPF through the National Archives at St. Louis. You can visit their public research room at Archives Drive (314-801-0850). Appointments are necessary Tuesday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. There are no costs to view records or scan/photograph with your approved equipment. You may also decide to write for a photocopy of a record at: National Archives at St. Louis, P.O. Box 37587, St. Louis, MO 63138, Fax: 314-801-9187, Email: STL.Archives@nara.gov. They will bill you for the materials if necessary.

Please contact your Casualty Officer to register yourself as a family member if you have not already done so. Their case managers are your first point of contact for information about your missing loved one and will provide information about the personnel accounting process, DNA and future DoD-hosted family conference events. If you don’t know what service branch with which your loved one served, check out our lists of missing servicemen organized by conflict on “Our Missing” page at http://www.dpaa.mil.

Please contact your Casualty Office case managers. If you don’t know what service branch with which your loved one served, check out our lists of missing servicemen organized by conflict on “Our Missing” page at http://www.dpaa.mil.

You can subscribe to receive updates via DoD Press Releases, to have our announcements delivered directly to your inbox at : http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases.

You can see a listing of all our Press Releases at http://www.dpaa.mil/NewsStories/Releases.

Reporters and those needing media-related services can contact our Public Affairs Office directly at:

Current and/or some previous DPAA posters can be provided to you at no cost. Please order your poster HERE.

DNA can be used to support the anthropology and archaeological analysis of recovered skeletal remains of missing service members or it can be used as the primary means of identification.

The Department of Defense uses specialized laboratory techniques to locate, copy, and analyze DNA sequences from the remains of our missing – such as bones or teeth. We then compare these DNA sequences to DNA reference samples that we have on file. DNA reference samples can come from either the missing individual or from a family member.

The process of donating a DNA reference sample is easy, painless and free-of-charge. A DNA kit is mailed to your home, containing a special swab for wiping the donor’s’ inner cheek to collect check cells. The collected sample is then placed in a pre-addressed and pre-paid envelope to the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory – or AFDIL – in Dover, Delaware. AFDIL keeps your DNA information in an exclusive database used only during comparisons to remains associated with missing service personnel. Alternatively, family members can provide DNA reference samples in-person when they attend family member update events held periodically throughout the year in cities around the country.

Your DNA information is kept within a database at AFDIL. This database is used only within AFDIL and cannot be shared with other agencies.

Sometimes, DNA samples donated by family members directly result in an identification of remains in our laboratory. In other cases, DNA samples held in our database may be used in future comparisons, in the hopes that as new remains are received, we will find a matching family reference sample.

In other cases, reference samples can be used to exclude certain individuals from matching particular sets of remains; in some cases, enough exclusion can allow us to make a match.

We aim to acquire at least two DNA samples for every case. Your Service Casualty Office can tell you if more DNA is needed for your case. Use the chart below to determine if you are an eligible donor for your loved one’s case.

If you are a family member that is not eligible for a DNA donation, there are still ways you can help.

AFDIL is often able to recover DNA from personal materials such as baby hair, baby teeth, hairbrushes, and envelopes belonging to the missing person. If you have any of these items, or believe you have something else that might be helpful, please contact your Service Casualty Office for information on how to send these in for testing. Once testing is complete, the items will be returned to you.

To “Go Green” and reduce cost, we are focusing on online digital distribution of The Quest instead and no longer provide hard copy mailings. To download/save our current newsletter as a standard PDF file on your computer, go to http://www.dpaa.mil/NewsStories/Newsletters. (note: You must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your system to read the file. Adobe Reader is a free program available at: Http://www.adobe.com).

Follow these steps to download the newsletter as a standard pdf file:

1. Right click on the image of our newsletter cover.
2. Choose "Save Target As" from the menu.
3. Browse on your computer to find a place to save the file.
4. Push the "Save" button.

If you would like to subscribe to our notifications about our quarterly newsletter, please send your email address to: dpaa.ncr.ec.mbx.outreach@mail.mil so we can add you to our mailing list.

DPAA's fellowship program is run via The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). For more information about ORISE, please see their website at: http://www.orau.org/maryland/default.html. DPAA is currently evaluating options to expand our fellowship program. Check back for an update about our program expansion in the fall of 2016.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency- Laboratory located at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, offers a limited number of unpaid academic internships and administrative volunteer positions. These limited intern positions are available to students pursuing degrees in Anthropology, Forensic Sciences, Archaeology and associated fields.

Internships and volunteer positions offer an opportunity to participant in a forensic work environment in an accredited laboratory setting. An internship at the DPAA-LAB offers a wide spectrum of laboratory experiences and are afforded the opportunity to establish professional networks with other forensic practitioners. Internships and volunteer positions are offered to people of nearly any educational level; however it is strongly recommended that applicants for internship and volunteer positions have at least some college experience and exposure to the field of forensics. Both interns and volunteers will participate in various tasks which support the laboratory’s goals. Applicants to the program must be U.S. citizens. A background check is required for all applicants to obtain a security clearance. This process requires the releasing of personal history and submitting finger prints.

For more information or to apply to be an intern or volunteer in the DPAA Laboratory, please contact our program coordinator: Cortland Sciotto, Lab FSA PH: (808) 474-4983, Email: cortland.o.sciotto.civ@mail.mil.

DPAA has a staff from a variety of civilian career fields including historical research, forensic anthropology, archaeology, geospatial analysis, policy analysis, public affairs, communications, and general administrative staff. Most of our professional staff has advanced degrees in their respective fields.

Civilian job announcements are made periodically on USA Jobs online at https://www.usajobs.gov/. All civilian employment applications will be reviewed and processed according to applicable federal hiring guidelines. We cannot confer preferential consideration outside of these guidelines. Please refer to OPM's website at: www.opm.gov for information about the federal hiring process.

Military jobs are wide ranging, and we advertise openings through each service branch assignment section. Please contact your service representative to inquire about openings. *For personnel that have been assigned to a billet at the Agency, please call 808-448-1934 if you have any questions or need a sponsor assigned.

AIR FORCE PERSONNEL
All Air Force personnel must apply for a position on Equal Plus (enlisted only). For enlisted personnel, if the job is not on Equal Plus for your rank/grade/Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC), we currently do not have any vacant billets. Officer positions will be listed on AMS. Check regularly under your AFSC as requirements do change. *Note: The Agency's Human Capital Directorate (HCD, like a J1) will refer all assignment questions to the service's respective assignment section. HCD waits for each service assignment section to fill in the requisition for any vacant positions. Please refer all of your assignment questions to your career field manager at AFPC.

NAVY AND MARINE PERSONNEL
All Navy and Marine personnel must contact their respective rating assignment officer for any type of assignment. For Navy personnel, they must request an Agency assignment from their Detailer at BUPERS. For Marine personnel, they must request an assignment at the Agency from their Monitor at HQMC. The rating assignment officer will decide if a billet is available at the Agency depending on their Specialty/Rate/NEC/MOS. *Note: The Agency's Human Capital Directorate (HCD, like a J1) will refer all assignment questions to the service's respective assignment section. HCD waits for each service assignment section to fill in the requisition for any vacant positions. Please refer all of your assignment questions to your rating assignment officer at BUPERS/HQMC.

ARMY PERSONNEL
All Army personnel must contact their respective branch manager at HQDA for an assignment to the Agency. Their rating branch manager will decide if a billet is available at the Agency depending on their Specialty/MOS. *Note: The Agency's Human Capital Directorate (HCD, like a J1) will refer all assignment questions to the service's respective assignment section. HCD waits for each service assignment section to fill in the requisition for any vacant positions. Please refer all of your assignment questions to your branch manager at HQDA.

RESERVE / NATIONAL GUARD PERSONNEL
The Agency has only a handful of Reserve and no National Guard billets. The Agency does not have the authority to bring Reservists/National Guard personnel to active duty to augment our missions.

If you wish to return the bracelet of an MIA, please send it to the casualty office of the MIA’s service branch and include a letter to the casualty office asking them to return the bracelet for you, and provide your preferred contact information if would like them to ask the family to consider contacting you. They will mail it to the family member, and it is up to the family member if they decide to contact you.