Sept. 30, 2025

Honoring USNA Alumni on POW/MIA Recognition Day

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency senior operations officer delivered remarks to fellow alumni marking National POW/MIA Recognition Day at the U.S. Naval Academy on Sept. 19, 2025. Jon Figuerres, a member of the academy’s class of 1985, addressed his fellow alumni, who gathered at the Naval Academy to celebrate their 40th class reunion.

Sept. 25, 2025

From Battlefield to Partnership: Honoring Papua New Guinea’s 50th Anniversary

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii — On September 16, 2025, Papua New Guinea celebrated the 50th anniversary of its independence, a milestone honoring half a century of self-determination, resilience, and cultural pride. For the United States, this golden anniversary is not only a moment to recognize the achievements of a close Pacific partner, but also a time to reflect on enduring ties forged during World War II.

Sept. 23, 2025

DPAA and LABANOF host the 2025 Scientific Summit in Milan, Italy

MILAN, Italy — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, in partnership with the Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology and Odontology, also known as LABANOF, hosted the fourth Scientific Summit at the University of Milan, Sept. 17–20, 2025. Fewer than 81,000 U.S. service members remain unaccounted for from past conflicts, the majority from World War II. Many of those losses are tied to European battlefields, making this summit both geographically and historically significant.

Sept. 22, 2025

Digging Deep: University of Arizona ROTC Cadets Discover the Meaning of Service with DPAA in Poland

Poland — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency recently piloted a unique partnership with the University of Arizona’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps from July 24 to Aug. 18. Three cadets, Jonathan Ellwanger, Zachariah Ellwanger, and Carson Criswell, along with their Professor of Military Science, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Rich Ingleby, joined a DPAA recovery team in Poland to assist in field operations. This marked the first time cadets from the University of Arizona were given the opportunity to directly support a DPAA recovery mission. When Ingleby was selecting cadets for this mission, he wanted cadets who were driven and committed to embrace the rigor of the work. “I wanted cadets that were going specifically for this mission, cadets that understood the importance of it,” he said. “It was not going to be a vacation to Europe; we were working long hours in a farm field.”

Sept. 19, 2025

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency hosts 2025 National POW/MIA Recognition Day Ceremony

HONOLULU — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency hosted a National POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Sept. 19, 2025. Established in 1979 by presidential proclamation signed by President Jimmy Carter, the day honors former prisoners of war and those missing in action from past and current conflicts, with the third Friday of September designated for the annual observance. Its creation stemmed from the determined efforts of families wanting accountability and remembrance for their missing loved ones. Fern Sumpter Winbush, DPAA principal deputy director, delivered the opening remarks, reflecting on the solemnity of the day and how it remains deeply intertwined with the agency’s mission.