Missing in action facts for kids

the POW/MIA flag for the Prisoners and Missing in Wars

Missing in action (MIA) refers to a soldier who is reported to have gone missing during active service. The soldier may have been killed, injured, captured or deserted. It is not known what happened to them. If they are dead, neither their body nor grave can be found or identified. Going missing in action has been a risk for people in armed forces for as long as there has been war.

World War II

According to the US Dept of Defense as of January 14, 2021:

MIAS-North America: 2,399
MIAS-South America: 645
MIAS-Europe: 20,929
MIAS-Middle East: 16
MIAS-Africa: 987
MIAS-Asia/Pacific: 47,144
Total of MIA US Servicemen/civilians: 72,533

According to official US Department of Army and Department of Navy casualty records, submitted to Congress in 1946 and updated in 1953, the combined possible total of missing service personnel worldwide is closer to approximately 6600 and probably considerably fewer. Since DPAA alone designates such WWII personnel as the crew of the USS Arizona and most of that of USS Oklahoma as both "missing" and "unaccounted-for" it is possible that DPAA records keeping may be somewhat idiosyncratic.

Korean War

US Department of Defense Loss concentrations maps estimation of US MIAS/POWS as being lost in North Korea in 1954 and in 2017.
Location	1954	2017
POW CAMPS	1,200-1,273	883-1,200
Unsan/Chongchan area	1,109-1,559	1,294-1,549
DMZ	89	1,000
UN Cemeteries	266	[233]
Chosin Reservoir area	523-1,002	598-1,079
Suan Camps	0	185
Totals	3,260-4,116	3,960-3,828

According to the US Dept of Defense as of January 14,2021: Total of working number of MIA US Servicemen: 7,567

Vietnam War

According to the US Dept of Defense as of January 14,2021: Total of MIA US Servicemen/Civilians: 1,585

Cold War

According to the US Dept of Defense as of January 14, 2021:

MIAS-Europe: 15
MIAS-Asia/Pacific: 111

Total of MIA Servicemen: 126

Others

According to the US Dept of Defense as of January 15,2021:

MIAS-Gulf Wars/Middle East: 5
MIAS-El Dorado Canyon/Africa: 1

Total of MIA Servicemen: 6

As of January 14,2021 Total US MIAS World War II to present: 81,817

Related pages

Images for kids

Grave of 12 unknown British and/or Commonwealth soldiers. Buried in Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong.
"Missing in Action" plaque at Veterans Memorial Park in Rhome in north Texas
Ossuary at the Gallipoli battlefield, containing the remains of 3000 unidentified French soldiers who died in 1915
Grave of an unknown Indian Army combatant in Lae War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea
Monument to prisoners of war and missing soldiers in Neustadt am Rübenberge, Germany
Grave of unknown Indian Army soldier, Taukkyan War Cemetery, Burma
Grave of unknown British or Commonwealth soldier, Taukkyan War Cemetery, Burma