EDITOR’S NOTE: DPAA (Defense’s POW/MIA Accounting Agency) is a unit of the Department of Defense dedicated to locating, identifying and returning the remains of American military personnel lost in past wars.
DPAA personnel travel to the most forlorn of places – mountaintops, jungles, deserts and the bottom of the sea – anywhere the remains of U.S. military warriors may be found.
In 2024, DPAA identified and returned 128 sets of military personnel remains – 95 from World War II, 29 from the Korean War and four from Vietnam – to families across the country. Another 44 sets of remains were identified but the families have not yet been notified.
The following story, written by Captain Ryan MacCormack, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Public Affairs, describes a tour of the DPAA headquarters and laboratory in Hawaii where this work is done.
Along the corridors of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, artifacts of past conflicts hold the memories of a solemn promise: to provide the fullest possible accounting for America’s missing personnel to their families and the nation.
DPAA’s tours allow both families and the public to immerse themselves in the stories of these individuals who deserve to be honored and remembered.
Each Tuesday at 10 a.m. and at 2 p.m. scheduled groups of up to 25 people are led through the halls of the agency’s third-floor laboratory wing – the largest forensic identification lab in the world and the only one accredited by the American National Standards Associations Board.
Tour coordinators, such as DPAA Community Relations Specialist Yasmine Muhammad, provide visitors an up-close look at how the DPAA carries out its mission and the milestones it has achieved since its mission began.
“These tours provide a unique opportunity to connect the families and the public with DPAA’s mission,” said Muhammad. “They offer insight into the meticulous process of the recovery and identification of service members, how we honor their sacrifice, and do our commitment to providing the fullest possible accounting.”
Public outreach is a cornerstone of the DPAA’s mission – to families of the unaccounted-for, for whom the laboratory staff work tirelessly to provide answers, and to the public, whose support is critical to ensuring the DPAA has resources to fulfill its mandate.
Guests come from diverse backgrounds: families of the missing, scout troops, students, veteran organizations, federal agencies, diplomats, allied militaries, journalists, media representatives and personnel stationed on Oahu.
Tours begin in the main hallway, surrounded by artifacts recovered from recovery missions and replicas of human skeletal remains that serve as teaching aids. After an introduction to the agency’s initial history and scientific methods, guests are led into the laboratory wing.
There, the tour typically allows guests to view the work being done on specific projects to identify the remains of military personnel as well as see the Isotope Analysis methodology used to aid in identifications.
As guests file through, they can see forensic anthropologists working toward identifications and are encouraged to ask questions to understand the intricate work that goes into the DPAA mission.
Seeing the DPAA’s work firsthand resonates with guests. The facility and its mission are particularly poignant for combat veterans.
“I am without words to describe the emotions and adoration that I and our [Department of the Army] civilians have for your work and commitment to recovering and returning our unknown service men and women to their families,” said retired U.S. Army Col. Brian Moore, civilian deputy of the 516th Theater Signal Brigade, located at Fort Shafter, Hawaii.
Moore was an Airborne Ranger, and veteran of Operation Just Cause in Panama. He was encouraged to take the tour by a co-worker and DPAA alumnus, Rick Cole, who worked for the DPAA’s predecessor agency, Joint Task Force–Full Accounting, from 1997 to 2001.
“I loved it,” said Cole of his time with the joint task force. “I loved the mission.”
Every DPAA recovery mission leads toward the final stop: the Family Viewing Room.
Elevated in the center of the building, the room is its heart, signifying the culmination of each case and the identification of a missing service member. After an identification has been made, the family of the service member is invited to view the remains of their loved one in a somber, dignified atmosphere.
Photographs of recently identified service members adorn the tables, reminders of the objective of every open case and the common goal of each member of the agency. Every tour aims to raise awareness of the importance of the POW/MIA mission and to emphasize the Department of Defense’s unending commitment to providing the fullest possible accounting.
It is a testament to the enduring promise etched in the DPAA’s fortitude: that no one will be left behind.
For more information or to schedule a tour, visit our website and click on contact us.
