News & Stories
U.S. Army Pvt. Stephen C. Mason. Mason was assigned to Headquarters Company, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Infantry Division, which had served in Operation Market Garden – the invasion of the German-occupied Netherlands – and saw continued action in the Netherlands until mid-November. He was reported missing in action while on a mission to the enemy lines near Beek, Netherlands Nov. 3, 1944. His body was not recovered. Mason was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions. To identify Mason’s remains, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency scientists used dental and anthropological analysis as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System's-Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA analysis to identify Mason this year. (Photo courtesy of Karol Krychkowski, photographer unknown)

Nov. 3, 2021

Uncle Steve returns home from World War II

Wrightstown, NJ — Pvt. Stephen C. Mason and four other Soldiers left on a mission to the enemy lines near Beek, Netherlands, Nov. 3, 1944.They were charged with gathering information on German fortifications and, if

People talking and taking notes

Oct. 8, 2021

Airman's heritage supports POW/MIA mission

DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. — The U.S. Air Force has many opportunities for Airmen to develop skills they already have.

Sept. 28, 2021

LEAP Scholar Comes Full Circle on POW/MIA Mission in Vietnam

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Language Enabled Airman Program Scholar and U.S. Space Force Master Sgt. Hanh Le first heard of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in 2016 when she was stationed in Buckley Air Force Base,

Members of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) render honors during a chain of custody event for the recently identified remains of Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Army Chaplain (Capt.) Emil J. Kapaun at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Sept. 21, 2021. In May of 2021, DPAA announced that Chaplain Kapaun’s remains had been positively identified. His remains had previously been interred in a grave marked “unknown” at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu in 1956 and had been disinterred in 2019 as part of DPAA’s Korean War Disinterment Project. DPAA’s mission is to achieve the fullest possible accounting for missing and unaccounted-for U.S. personnel to their families and our nation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Apryl Hall)

Sept. 25, 2021

Chaplain Emil J. Kapaun: “Padre” finally returns home

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM — In 1950, they simply knew him as “padre.” They have since referred to him as the bravest man they’ve ever known, their hope, their idol, their savior, and have even called him “God’s man.” He’s attributed to saving their lives, both literally and figuratively. He performed miracles during some of the darkest moments in history, when all hope had been lost. It may be called the “forgotten war,” but they will ensure his name is remembered by all.

Staff Sgt. Michael O'Neal

Sept. 23, 2021

First-Ever United States and the Republic of Korea Joint Repatriation Ceremony

HONOLULU — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) held its first-ever joint repatriation and wreath laying ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Sept. 22, 2021.The strong and long-lasting

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