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HIGHLIGHTS
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LABORATORY STUDY RELEASED
:
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Security Affairs and DPMO cosponsored in 2008 an
independent study (click here)
by the Institute of Defense Analyses (IDA) to review the current structure, resources, assets and physical location of the Central Identification Laboratory at the Joint POW/Missing Personnel Accounting Command in Hawaii. The recommendations of the IDA study are being considered as part of a strategic planning effort led by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs, to increase significantly the rate of identifications in accordance with congressional guidance.
NEWBERRY APPOINTED NEW DASD
:
Mr. Bob Newberry has been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs and Director of the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office. He had served previously in DPMO as acting DASD. During his Air Force career, he served three combat tours in Southeast Asia flying the F-4 Phantom, and three tours in Europe flying the Air Force’s A-10 Warthog, as well as a two-year assignment flying with the U.S. Marine Corps. He comes to DPMO from leadership positions in Asia-Pacific matters, counternarcotics, counterterrorism, special operations and many other significant mission areas in the Department of Defense.
2009 POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY AND POSTER
:
This year's POW/MIA Recognition Day was commemorated on September 18, the third Friday of the
month
. This is the traditional day of the month for that observance each year. Ceremonies were held across the country in large and small cities, in
major and minor league baseball parks
, in veterans' posts and chapters, on U.S. military bases and
elsewhere
. At the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
hosted a ceremony
, with presentations by Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General James E. Cartwright, with keynote remarks delivered by former POW Admiral (and Senator) Jeremiah Denton.
Video
and
photos
of the Pentagon ceremony are available for viewing.
In response to overwhelming demand, we ordered additional commemorative
posters
which are now available. We do not have an unlimited supply, so please place your order
online
quickly or they will no longer be available. You may also order the posters by phone at 703-699-1131, or by regular mail at: DPMO, Attn: Posters, 241 18th Street South, Suite 800, Arlington, VA 22202. Whether ordering by phone or by letter, please specify your name, number of posters, mailing address and telephone number.
2010 FAMILY UPDATE SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED:
DPMO will host nine Family Updates and two Annual Government Briefings in 2010. The schedule for the cities selected may be found by clicking
HERE
. At each of the updates, attendees will learn about the worldwide effort to account for missing servicemembers from all conflicts, and will have an opportunity to meet the specialists and scientists who carry out that mission in the field. A typical agenda may be found on this web site. Family members who wish to attend any of these updates, including the two Annual Government Briefings, should contact their respective Service Casualty Office at the numbers shown elsewhere on this web site.
POW/MIA Bracelet Inquiries
:
Members of the public often contact DPMO requesting information on serviceman for whom they wore a Vietnam War POW/MIA bracelet. They usually wish to contact the person or his family so they can send them the bracelet that they wore. Since we cannot provide the public with private addresses we have on file, we recommend forwarding a postage-affixed letter to the respective serviceman's casualty office (see links below) with a cover letter explaining the request. If the service casualty office has a current address, they will forward the letter to the serviceman or his family. At that point, the serviceman or family member may choose to contact the concerned citizen and provide them with an address to send the bracelet. There is no guarantee that this process will work. Many of the former POWs are no longer in contact with their service casualty office and this also applies to the families.
2008 CHINA ARCHIVES ARRANGEMENT:
U.S. and Chinese officials signed a document February 29, 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.
CLICK HERE
to read the English and Chinese versions of the document.
CLICK HERE
to read the follow-up arrangement that was signed on April 24, 2008, which described in more specific 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
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NAVY
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AIR FORCE
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MARINE CORPS
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CLICK HERE
for detailed information on
Service Casualty Offices Points of Contact
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VIDEO:
KEEPING THE PROMISE
DPMO MISSION BRIEFING
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