Story by Lance Cpl. Moses Lopez Franco | Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency | 05.28.2025
In the dense, rain-soaked jungles of Southeast Asia, the mission endures. Beneath the canopy of Dak Man, Laos, a dedicated team of U.S. service members and civilians press forward through thick mud and relentless monsoons—not for victory, but for remembrance. They are part of a recovery operation led by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, working to recover and identify missing U.S.......
Story by Staff Sgt. Blake Gonzales | Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency | 01.24.2025
Rick Holland's father, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Melvin Holland, was one of 11 Airmen who lost their lives on Phou Pha Thi, also known as Lima Site 85. After 57 years, Rick not only visited Lima Site 85, but also met the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency recovery team actively searching for his father....
Story by Senior Airman Kathy Duran | Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency | 12.06.2024
The path to a once-in-a-lifetime Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) mission was anything but easy for U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. China Ojikutu, a 59th Medical Wing medic. After three rejections and years of determination, Ojikutu finally achieved her goal of joining a DPAA recovery mission- one dedicated to bringing America’s fallen heroes home to their families. “I thought it......
Story by Staff Sgt. Blake Gonzales | Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency | 10.16.2022
U.S. Army Sgt. Harley Miller, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Mortuary Affairs assistant, gave out a piece of candy during a recovery mission in Lao People's Democratic Republic. The small but kind action would create a lasting relationship between her and the Chanthavong family....
Story by Cpl. Jack Rigsby | Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency | 09.14.2021
HONOLULU, HAWAII — U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Kevin Phong, a weapons armament apprentice troop with the 335th Fighter Squadron, recently attached to attached to Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) as part of recovery team in search of a missing U.S. service member lost during the Vietnam War in Houa Phong Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic....
Story by Airman 1st Class Alexi Bosarge | 22nd Air Refueling Wing | 07.09.2019
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. – Hands are calloused from endless hours digging, exhausted from the heat and what feels like an endless day, but the determination to find just one keeps you going....
