*HIGHLIGHTS*

POW/MIA Recognition Day and Poster:
This year’s POW/MIA event will be held at the Pentagon on Friday, September 18, the third Friday of the month.  Each year, this is the traditional day of the month for that observance.  Additional information will be sent to local area MIA family members and POWs who may wish to attend.  POW/MIA posters to highlight this year’s observance are available for order online or by phone at (703) 699-1131.  Past years’ posters are also available.  To order posters by mail, send a request to DPMO, Attn: Posters, 241 18th St. S., Suite 800, Arlington, VA 22202. Additional information on these observances may be useful for event planners who wish to organize an event locally.

Underwater Investigations in Vietnam:
The U.S. Navy Ship Heezen arrived in Vietnamese waters in early June to begin an investigation of potential underwater crash sites.  The Heezen is one of seven of the Navy’s oceanographic survey ships.  Aboard the ship are Navy military and civilian specialists, as well as personnel from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and the Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons.  The Heezen’s mission is scheduled to be completed on June 24.

2010 Family Update Schedule Announced:
DPMO will host nine Family Updates and two Annual Government briefings in 2010.  The Family Updates are for relatives of any American who is missing in action from past conflicts (Desert Storm, Vietnam, Korea, Cold War, WWII).  They are held in cities across the country, whereas the Annual Government briefings are held in Washington, DC, in separate events for Vietnam War families, and Korean/Cold War families.  Family members who wish to attend any of these events, including the two Annual Government Briefings, should contact their respective Service Casualty Office at the numbers shown elsewhere on this web site.  Cities are also shown for the remainder of 2009 events.

POW/MIA Bracelet Inquiries:
We are often contacted with requests for information on servicemen whose names are found on Vietnam-era POW/MIA bracelets.  The request is often to contact the person or his family so the bracelet can be sent to them.  Since we cannot provide private addresses we have on file, we recommend forwarding a postage-affixed letter to the respective serviceman’s casualty office with a cover letter explaining the request.  If the casualty office has a current address, they will forward the letter to the serviceman or his family.  At this point, the serviceman or his family may choose to contact the letter writer and provide an address to send the bracelet.  There is no guarantee that such contact can be established, as many former POWs and their families are no longer in contact with the military services.

China Archives Arrangement:
U.S. and Chinese officials signed a document in 2008 in Shanghai, China to formalize research in Chinese archives on Korean War POW/MIA matters.  Ambassador Charles A. Ray, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs, signed the arrangement with Major General Qian Li Hua of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense.  The arrangement outlines expected cooperation between the U.S. and China in researching the archives, which may shed light on Americans who were missing in action or held as prisoners of war in camps managed by the Chinese.  Both the English and Chinese versions of that document are available for review.  A follow-up arrangement was signed later in 2008 which described in more detail the types of Korean War documents to be examined as well as general timelines and actions to be carried out by both sides.

Links to Military Services:
If you would like to visit the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps POW/MIA websites, click on the icons below.

ARMY

NAVY

AIR FORCE

MARINE CORPS

CLICK HERE for detailed information on Service Casualty Offices Points of Contact

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