Missing in Southeast Asia
Recorded by
Service and Country of Loss
The following chart shows the Americans who remain missing in Southeast Asia divided by military service, country of loss, and status of investigation into loss incident. This data is taken from the Defense POW-Missing Personnel website.
On the DPMO website, click on the VIETNAM WAR tab.
Then, look on the right side of the page for a salmon-colored box and click on
the STATISTICS link. On the STATISTICS page you'll the last two years of
statistical reports listed first followed by links to stats reports from
previous years. Here's a link to DPMO page that lists their statistical
reports for the Vietnam War:
http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/vietnam/statistics/
| Service | Country of loss * | Totals ** | ||||
| VN | VS | LA | CB | CH | ||
| Army | 10 | 423 | 76 | 27 | 0 | 536 |
| Navy | 258 | 84 | 18 | 0 | 7 | 367 |
| Marine Corps | 22 | 165 | 17 | 8 | 0 | 212 |
| Air Force | 185 | 129 | 211 | 17 | 0 | 542 |
| Coast Guard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Civilians | 1 | 19 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 32 |
Totals |
476 | 820 | 328 | 58 | 7 | 1,689** |
| Pursuit status *** | ||||||
| VN | VS | LA | CB | CH | ||
| Further pursuit | 173 | 437 | 298 | 52 | 4 | 964 |
| Deferred | 43 | 56 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 105 |
| No further pursuit | 260 | 327 | 25 | 5 | 3 | 620 |
Totals |
476 | 820 | 328 | 58 | 7 | 1,689 |
* Country of loss: VN = North Vietnam VS = South Vietnam LA = Laos CB = Cambodia CH = China
** Includes 468 who were lost at sea or overwater
*** Pursuit status refers to the current status of continuing analysis, research, or other investigation of a missing man's loss.
 | Further pursuit means that information collected and analyzed to date indicates that US investigators should continue to investigate this case, possibly even excavate a site. |
| Deferred means that further investigation is necessary but that no action is being taken now; the investigation will become active later. |
| No further pursuit means that all possible leads have been followed on this loss and no further action will be taken unless new information becomes available. |
American Remains Identified Since 1973
Remains returned or repatriated from: Number Vietnam 675* China 3 ** Laos 247 Cambodia 32 Total 957 *** * Includes 34 remains that were on the Died in Captivity lists provided by the Vietnamese in 1973.
** Ashes of two men were returned by the Chinese. Their aircraft were shot down over North Vietnam but crashed across the border in China.
*** Remains of four men were recovered by indigenous personnel and returned to US custody: one from North Vietnam and three from Laos. They are included in the country count.
Information current as of: May 30, 2011
Click here to go to the page entitled How Many Missing?