The Missing 83,000

摘要

In mid-2013, some 83,000 US service personnel were missing or unaccounted for from World War Ⅱ, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and six Persian Gulf conflicts. That's the word from the Pentagon, which is charged with trying to resolve the cases. As can be seen, most of the missing (73,000, or about 88 percent) are casualties of World War Ⅱ. Sixty-nine percent (57,307) were lost in the Pacific region. The missing by service affiliation are: Army 43,786; Navy and Coast Guard 33,279; Marine Corps 3,941; Air Force 1,485. (Army Air Forces'World War Ⅱ losses are included in the Army tally.) In a recent study, the Government Accountability Office said DOD has made some progress in coordinating its recovery efforts but noted that the effort is undermined by "leadership weaknesses and a fragmented organizational structure."