The missing: 7 facts about the more than 82,000 service members never heard from again

Tens of thousands of Americans have been lost at war, never to be accounted for again. Most are presumed dead.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, 82,568 American veterans are missing in action in conflicts dating back to World War II.

In a twist to dispute a death ruling, a family from Miamisburg pushed to have a Vietnam War Navy medic moved from the killed in action list to missing in action. They have since had closure.

The remains of more than 1,000 Americans killed in the Vietnam War have been identified and returned to families since 1973, when American troops started pulling out of the conflict, according to the federal Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

But 1,611 others who fought in Vietnam have never been heard from since.

Here are six more facts about the number of Americans missing in action:

A vast majority of the missing fought in World War II: more than 73,000.

Of all the missing, 75 percent are located in the Asia-Pacific, where America became embroiled on many fronts.

Overall, more than 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at sea.

More than 7,800 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War.

At least 126 service members are unaccounted from the Cold War.

There are six missing from Iraq Theater and other War on Terror conflicts, including Lt. Robert J. Dwyer of Worthington, whose FA-18 aircraft went down in the Persian Gulf.

About the Author