Do you know how many Americans are "missing" or "unaccountable" in Southeast Asia? (Vietnam War)

2015-10-26T14:50:54-04:00

At the end of Operation Homecoming in the Spring of 1973, 2,646 Americans did not return from Southeast Asia -- they were "unaccounted for." Since then, 1,017 have been "accounted for" by (1) recovering and identifying remains; (2) return of a small number of individuals after Operation Homecoming; (3) recovering the remains of several individuals as a group whose remains are not separately identifiable.

Currently, 1,626 Americans are "unaccounted for" in Southeast Asia:

Vietnam: 1,268
North Vietnam : 467
South Vietnam : 801

Laos : 302
Cambodia : 49
China (territorial waters) : 7
These figures were last updated on : September 22, 2015
Figures include 468 at sea or overwater losses
MIA Facts Site
http://miafacts.org/
by Joe Schlatter

This is a great video forwarded to me by a good friend. To all my brothers and sisters that served in Vietnam........Thank You.

Paul Chevalier

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVeBtnfAxP8&feature=youtu.be

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 26 at 2015 4:04 PM

2015-10-26T16:04:37-04:00

1. DPPA is underperforming.
2. They need to make contact with indigenous peoples because they might know of old battle sites and the locations of bones.

Response by PO2 Wesley Wilson made Oct 26 at 2015 8:06 PM

2015-10-26T20:06:18-04:00

The US is involved in the recovery efforts in Vietnam as well as many other countries and right here at home. Many of the remains that used to be unknown are now being identified and returned to next of kin.

As new sites are found around the world and remains recovered they still have to be identified as american or not, DNA and other evidence must be tested, each bone of fragment has to be identified and matched, it is a long process. Take for example the recent find of a ww2 glider from day, it has remains in it and they know who the crew from that glider was, but the remains are mixed with one another so while they know they have been found each set has to be identified. it will take years before all are returned home.

At the same time remains had been said to be unknown are exhumed and identified.

As many of you know there is no longer a Vietnam Unknown in the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington, it its very possible there will never be another.

I ask that anyone who has a missing relative from any war contribute DNA so that one day we will no longer say MIA.