JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (Nov. 30, 2012)
The U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command hosted an Arrival Ceremony Nov. 30 to honor fallen U.S. personnel whose identities remain unknown.
An honor detail comprised of joint military members escorted four flag-draped transfer cases from a U.S. military plane to JPAC’s Central Identification Laboratory for analyses.
The remains received full military honors and represented losses associated with World War II and the Vietnam War. They were recovered during recent JPAC missions in Kiribati, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Germany, Belgium, France, Canada and Vietnam.
Once the transfer cases arrived at JPAC’s laboratory, the forensic process of identifying the individuals began. If and when identifications are established, the names will be announced following next-of-kin notification.
Falling directly under the U.S. Pacific Command and employing more than 500 joint military and civilian personnel, JPAC continues its search for the fullest possible accounting of more than 83,000 Americans still missing from past conflicts. The ultimate goal of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, and of the agencies involved in returning America’s heroes home, is to conduct global search, recovery, and laboratory operations in order to support the Department of Defense’s personnel accounting efforts.
