The history of POW, MIA. Prisoners of war and missing in action (2024)

FAQs

How many POW MIA are still missing from Vietnam? ›

Current Status of Unaccounted-for Americans Lost in the Vietnam War. Of the remaining 1,244 Americans still unaccounted for in Vietnam, 470 are in a “non-recoverable” category.

In 1971, Mrs. Michael Hoff, the wife of a U.S. military officer listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War, developed the idea for a national flag to remind every American of the U.S. servicemembers whose fates were never accounted for during the war.

​Ordering POW/MIA Bracelets

At one time distributed by the National League of Families, bracelets are now available from a decades-long strong issue-supporter, the nonprofit, Ohio Chapter MIA-POW (see address below) which donates 100% of all proceeds to help sustain the League's efforts.

MIA is used to describe members of the armed forces who do not return from a military operation but who are not known to have been killed or captured. MIA is an abbreviation for 'missing in action'.

Nearly 30% of America's POWs since World War I are still living (29,350). More than 90% of our living POWs were captured and interned during World War II. In 1980, Congress mandated VA to conduct a study of former POWs to assess their health needs, and make recommendations for improvement of benefits and services.

While the Committee has some evidence suggesting the possibility a POW may have survived to the present, and while some information remains yet to be investigated, there is, at this time, no compelling evidence that proves that any American remains alive in captivity in Southeast Asia.

Pyle was in the very first group of prisoners to be released on 12 Feb 1973. I placed a blue star sticker on my bracelet to indicate my POW had returned safely home. I continued to wear Pyle's bracelet for several years to remember those who were still missing in action.

It is appropriate to honor fallen soldiers of any branch of our armed services. You do not need to have known the soldier, you are wearing their name on your wrist to honor them. Fallen, memorial bracelets are usually black for KIA.

The Department of Defense authorizes the Purple Heart for POWs (after December 7, 1941) who subsequently die in captivity.

Benefit Fact Sheet

Service members designated with Captive, Missing, or Missing in Action (MIA) status are entitled to receive the pay and allowances to which entitled when the status began or to which the service members later become entitled.

Do POWs pay taxes? ›

He has to file tax returns and even though he may be entitled to some exemptions, he will still have to pay any remaining taxes.

​World War II Accounting

At the end of the war, there were approximately 79,000 Americans unaccounted for. This number included those buried with honor as unknowns, officially buried at sea, lost at sea, and missing in action. Today, more than 73,000 of those lost Americans remain totally unaccounted for from WWII.

Garwood. Robert Russell Garwood (born April 1, 1946) is a former United States Marine. Often cited as the last verified American prisoner of war (POW) from the Vietnam War, Garwood was captured on September 28, 1965 by Việt Cộng forces near Da Nang, Quang Nam Province.

Benefit Fact Sheet

Service members designated with Captive, Missing, or Missing in Action (MIA) status are entitled to receive the pay and allowances to which entitled when the status began or to which the service members later become entitled.

​World War II Accounting

At the end of the war, there were approximately 79,000 Americans unaccounted for. This number included those buried with honor as unknowns, officially buried at sea, lost at sea, and missing in action. Today, more than 73,000 of those lost Americans remain totally unaccounted for from WWII.

Thirty-three American prisoners of war escaped and then reached U.S. forces. Of those thirty-three successful attempts, twenty-eight of them occurred within the first month of captivity.