March 10, 2026

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Conducts First Ever Repatriation Ceremony at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial: Marks 100 Disinterments in FY2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency conducted for the first time a Repatriation Ceremony at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, March 6, 2026. The ceremony also marked the first time in over five years that 100 disinterments had occurred in a fiscal year. Hosted by DPAA and the American Battle Monuments Commission, the event honored the sacrifice of the fallen U.S. personnel who could not be identified at the end of World War II and marks the start of the journey to the Daniel K. Inouye DPAA Center for Excellence, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for potential identification.

March 4, 2026

DPAA Conducts Repatriation Ceremony in Laos

LAOS — A Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency recovery team, Detachment 3, and Lao officials held a repatriation ceremony in Laos on Feb. 23, 2026. The ceremony marked the end of the joint field activity and the transfer of possible remains of American personnel unaccounted for from the Vietnam War.

Feb. 26, 2026

When DNA Isn’t Enough: How Video-Photo Superimposition Helped Identify a Fallen Service Member

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii — For many military repatriation cases, identification relies on familiar tools such as DNA, dental records, and medical radiographs. When those methods work, they provide clear and decisive answers. But some cases fall outside that framework, especially older losses where records are incomplete or biological evidence has degraded with time. That was the situation in the case of U.S. Army Sgt. Roger Duquesne, who served with A Company, 89th Medium Tank Battalion, 25th Infantry Division during the Korean War, and whose remains had been examined repeatedly over decades without a definitive identification.

Feb. 24, 2026

DPAA conducts underwater recovery mission in the Philippines

SUBIC BAY, Philippines — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has launched one of its largest and most complex recovery efforts to date to account for Americans associated with the sinking of the Oryoku Maru, a Japanese prisoner-of-war transport ship destroyed in Subic Bay during World War II.

Feb. 23, 2026

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Hosts Charleston Family Member Update: Unveils 2026 National POW/MIA Recognition Day Poster

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency hosted a Family Member Update on Feb. 21, where the agency provided updates to the Gold Star families on their loved one’s cases. The event saw more than 400 family members, representing nearly 230 missing U.S. personnel, with approximately 285 attending for the first time.