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.
“This joint field activity was conducted amidst considerable hardship, especially at excavation sites on steep mountains and in unfavorable weather,” said Maythong Thammavongsa, Deputy minister at ministry of Foreign Affairs and senior MIA committee advisor for the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. “However, with the excellent cooperation of the Lao and American teams and the close collaboration of central and local authorities, this work was made possible.”
Thammavongsa said the handover ceremony affirmed more than four decades of humanitarian cooperation between the two nations.
“The handover ceremony is of great significance and affirms the successful cooperation between Laos and the United States in the survey and excavation work to find and recover remains of American servicemen missing during the war in Laos,” said Thammavongsa. “The Lao government has always considered this work important and has provided excellent cooperation over the past four decades.”
Michelle Outlaw, chargé d’affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane, highlighted the longstanding partnership between the two nations in accounting for the missing.
“Since 1985, our countries have worked side by side and successfully completed 174 joint field activities,” said Outlaw. “Together, we have recovered 295 of the original 576 unaccounted-for Americans in the Lao PDR.”
During the ceremony, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Carl Hodgson, Laos Detachment 3 commander and Bounchanh Xayalath, director of MIA division, Europe-Americas Department, ministry of foreign affairs, signed the official handover memorandum, and members of the recovery team conducted the formal transfer.
As the ceremony concluded, both nations reaffirmed their shared commitment to humanitarian cooperation and continued recovery operations.
“We continue to make significant progress, but there is still work ahead as we search for the remaining 281 Americans still missing,” said Outlaw. “This mission represents the spirit of our longstanding humanitarian cooperation.”
Following the ceremony, the remains will be transported to the Daniel K. Inouye DPAA Center of Excellence on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii for forensic analysis and possible identification.
DPAA conducts recovery missions worldwide in partnership with host nations to provide the fullest possible accounting for missing American personnel. Once analysis is complete, families will be notified if identifications are made.