Remains of U.S. Servicemembers from Past Conflicts to be Returned This Week

The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) will conduct an arrival ceremony to honor unidentified fallen service members this Friday, Jan. 23 at Hickam, Air Force Base. A news release on the JPAC Web site provides details of the ceremony.

The mission of the approximately 400 men and women of JPAC is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation’s past conflicts. JPAC does this by deploying teams throughout Asia-Pacific – as well as Europe and the U.S. – to search for remains, which when discovered are returned to Oahu and the world’s largest staff of anthropologists and odontologists. Additional details of the JPAC mission can be found on their Frequently Asked Questions page.

Today, JPAC has teams operating in Cambodia and the Republic of Korea, and upcoming missions will include work in Vietnam and Laos. JPAC’s work touches many lives, most importantly those of the family and friends of fallen service members who are ultimately identified.

Their work also contributes to U.S. Pacific Command’s (PACOM) strategic objectives. With overseas detachments in Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, and routine interaction with officials wherever they operate, JPAC personnel do much to strengthen ties between the U.S. military and nations throughout the PACOM area of responsibility.