United States Missing In Action (MIA)
World War II Pacific Theater, Korean War and Cold War

World War II Pacific Theater 5th Air Force (South West Pacific Area) 7th Air Force (Central Pacific) 10th Air Force (China Burma India) 11th Air Force (Alaska) 13th Air Force (South Pacific) 14th Air Force (China Burma India) 20th Air Force (China Burma India, Marianas, Iwo Jima) USAAF, United States Army Air Force (United States) United States Army (USA) United States Navy (USN) United States Marine Corps (USMC)

Korean War Korean War Missing In Action (MIA) Registry Cold War Cold War Missing In Action (MIA) Registry Vietnam War Vietnam War Missing In Action (MIA) Registry

American Missing In Action (MIA)
At the end of World War II, 78,750 Americans were listed as Missing In Action (MIA) with roughly half in the Indo-Pacific as a result of the Pacific War. During the Korean War, over 8,000 Americans were listed as Missing In Action (MIA).

In the United States, two holidays honor America's war dead. The first, Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. The second, National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed on the 3rd Friday in September. Established by U.S. President Jimmy Carter with a proclamation. In 2019, the National POW/MIA Flag Act was signed into law, requiring the POW/MIA flag to be flown on certain federal properties, including the U.S. Capitol Building and the White House “on all days the U.S. flag is flown” and “in a manner designed to ensure visibility to the public.”

Recovery of American Missing In Action (MIA)
The recovery and identification America's unaccounted-for Missing In Action (MIA) began during the war by American and Allied forces. Postwar, the MIA search and identification was tasked to the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS). Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) agency responsible for MIA recovery and identification is the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Every year, new discoveries and reports are made about remains and wreckage that often lead to sites being discovered and MIA cases resolved. Due to ongoing accounting efforts by the DoD, the number of Americans that are MIA is being reduced as more individuals are officially accounted for.

Number of MIAs Remaining Today
As of January 23, 2025 the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) lists a total of 84,768 Americans Missing In Action (MIA) including 4,423 from World War I, 71,140 from World War II, 7,659 from the Korean War, 1,561 from the Vietnam War and 3 from other conflicts.

As of January 23, 2025 the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) lists a total of 81,137 Americans unaccounted for from World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Cold War and Gulf War and Libya Operations. This includes 71,986 from World War II (roughly 65% in the Indo-Pacific region), 7,446 from the Korean War, 1,544 from the Vietnam War, 126 from the Cold War (108 in Asia and 8 in Europe), 5 from the Gulf Wars and 1 from Operation El Dorado Canyon in Libya, the bombing of Libya on April 15, 1986. Of these, roughly 75% are located in the Indo-Pacific region and over 41,000 are presumed lost at sea. (Source DPAA - Past Conflicts).

References
CSPAN "House Armed Service Hearing on POW/MIA recovery and accounting" April 2, 2009
DoD Missing In Action March 2009 (74,791 Missing from World War II, with nation breakdown, 8,050 Missing from the Korean War)
DPAA (DPAA) National POW/MIA Recognition Day
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) - Searchable List of the Missing
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) - Searchable Map of the Missing with lower bar of unaccounted for numbers by conflict
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) Burials Search "Missing Status: Missing In Action" as of September 18, 2020