Peace Time: April 20, 2001

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The search for Vietnam war MIAs (troops missing in action) has taken on a life of its own. In addition to hundreds of volunteer workers, there are some 500 government workers assigned to the task, at a cost of over $100 million a year. There are still some 1,982 Vietnam war MIAs. Some 600 have been found and/or identified since the end of the war. Historically, MIAs were accepted as part of war. We still have 3,350 MIAs from World War I, 78,000 from World War II, and 8,100 from Korea. Some MIAs from those wars are still found, and identified. Often they are the crews of aircraft that crashed in remote areas during the war. These are easier to identify because the aircraft usually has markings or documentation on it. The Vietnam war MIA effort is driven partly by the shameful treatment veterans received during that unpopular war. But there are also scientific advances that make it easier to identify remains. 

 

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