MIAs identified as KIAs (1 Viewer)

[CannonFodder1971]

Hi, This is something that I've posted about previously on this and the other forum, but some of you might have other useful links to add.

As you're aware, here in Europe there are regular revisions to war death totals as human remains are unearthed in the course of agricultural, industrial or other activity on a quite frequent basis. However, there is no systematic or co-ordinated POW/MIA accounting structure. The US military has been far ahead in this regard, and there have been numerous revisions to the war dead totals, not just from Vietnam or Korea but also from WWII, which brings hopefully closure for many families and friends.

Yesterday Colonel Hamilton, a Vietnam War MIA was formally identified as KIA:

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060203-12415.html

 

[CannonFodder1971]

With the advances in forensics and the co-operation of the authorities in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam it looks like there will be considerable advances in the coming years, for example another 4 servicemen were identified recently:

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060214-12498.html

Alas in Europe, given the massive post-war reconstruction and the passage of time, it will be impossible to identify very many MIAs, just the occasional wreckage from lakes and little else, certainly no structured programme onthe lines of the DPMO.

 

[CannonFodder1971]

A few more WWII dead have been identified, most interestingly from the TAR/China:

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060508-12991.html

Although the general identification of the remains found in Alaska has been announced previously, it is heartening to hear that individual identifications have now been made:

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060509-13000.html

A book could probably be written about this Vietnam case:
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060501-12931.html

 

[Louis Badolato]

Dear Joe,

Thank you for the links. It is humbling that some of the brave men who flew over the hump during the China/Burma campaign remain unidentified and unburied. I am happy that these brave airmen are being returned to their families after all these years. I have yet to read the other two links, but I am going to as soon as i finish this message.

Regards,

Louis

 

[jazzeum]

What's amazing (although maybe not really considering the number of millions of casualties in World War II) is that 78,000 servicemen who fought in World War II are still unaccounted for.

 

[bromhead]

Some time ago I read an account of the find in the solomons of a P39,apparently pancaked into a clearing and reamainingg there for fifty years ,,the pilot was sitting against a tree with his personal items,,ID etc intact,it seemed he made it that far,,returning to the ranks with full honors.

 

[Mitch]

I think its great that we can now identify more and more of the troops and give them a proper identified and dignified final resting place. Science etc being used in a good way
Excellent articles
Mitch

 

[Currahee Chris]

Some time ago I read an account of the find in the solomons of a P39,apparently pancaked into a clearing and reamainingg there for fifty years ,,the pilot was sitting against a tree with his personal items,,ID etc intact,it seemed he made it that far,,returning to the ranks with full honors.

there was a similar story recently about a British air crew who looks like lost their way and flew into the desert and went down. The plane was unearthed recently not sure if the men were or not.

 

[Currahee Chris]

What's amazing (although maybe not really considering the number of millions of casualties in World War II) is that 78,000 servicemen who fought in World War II are still unaccounted for.

I think WW1 or the ACW are the worst- I believe 6 figures for both wars.

 

[bromhead]

there was a similar story recently about a British air crew who looks like lost their way and flew into the desert and went down. The plane was unearthed recently not sure if the men were or not.

Similar to the 'lady be good'

 

[eborris]

They were doing an archeological dig in Belgium of some of the trench line from WWI and while doing this dig they unearthed some skeletons apparently the victims of some trench cave in.

In the Civil War i wouldn't be surprised if some of those " missing " simply took off and went home.

 

[Peter Reuss]

In the Civil War i wouldn't be surprised if some of those " missing " simply took off and went home.

Or packed up and moved west where nobody could accuse them of desertion.

 

[Rob]

What's amazing (although maybe not really considering the number of millions of casualties in World War II) is that 78,000 servicemen who fought in World War II are still unaccounted for.

Wasn't there something called the ' lost division' or something similar, describing thousands of GI's who went AWOL in Europe settling down there and never returning home?. I think there are many descendents of US and British servicemen in France and Italy, they came,saw,conquered....and stayed!

Rob

 

[Mitch]

Wonder how many grabbed some ''loot'' and dissapeared I remember someone saying the Kelly's Heroes'' bit where they do a runner with the gold was far fetched... I wonder and the mess that the continent was in after hostilities ceased and the number of dead would mean that there must be many people who are different to their passports
Mitch

 

[lancer]

What's amazing (although maybe not really considering the number of millions of casualties in World War II) is that 78,000 servicemen who fought in World War II are still unaccounted for.

There are also some 3400-3500 missing and unaccounted for US soldiers from World War 1. Considering the nature of that war, this number, while large, is not as massive as one might expect. -- Al

 

[W T Allison II]

There are also some 3400-3500 missing and unaccounted for US soldiers from World War 1. Considering the nature of that war, this number, while large, is not as massive as one might expect. -- Al

There are still 8,028 missing inthe Korean War.

 

[bromhead]

In the first years after the viet war,,when the heroic peoples army began to" Co operate" with remains etc,,there were reports of families having their own identifications done etc with the results being dogbones,,chicken remains and other flotsum. Kind of a rush at the time to close the books and get past that pesky entire Mia never forgotten political thing,,pave the way for todays clothing factories,,wonderful tours of 3 corps and of course that french tire company everyone loves with their massive rubber plantations near cambodia.
the best thing for military types in wartime is never be captured and not be alone,,moldering in some unmarked dig while those same war opponents do trade deals.

 

[WWii addict]

there was a similar story recently about a British air crew who looks like lost their way and flew into the desert and went down. The plane was unearthed recently not sure if the men were or not.

I've heard of it, when the plane was found it was practically untouched, but there were no bodies. They spread the search about 10-20 miles and the only thing they found was a leather glove and a colt .45 gun.