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DPAA Family/VSO/MSO Quarterly Call and Update Notes

Thursday, Jan 30, 2020, 1:00 P.M.

‘Fulfilling Our Nation’s Promise’

Summary: Keeping the families of our missing as well as veterans informed is a primary objective

of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency's (DPAA) mission. This update is intended to

provide an overview of efforts during the previous quarter to account for our missing.

Families-Veteran-Military Service Organization Participants:

• American Legion

• Disabled American Veterans

• Honor Release Return, Inc. 

• Jewish War Veterans of the USA

• Korea-Cold War Families of the Missing

• Korean War POW/MIA Network

• National League of POW/MIA Families

• Special Operations Association

The agenda includes:

• Director’s Update (Mr. Kelly McKeague) 

• Deputy Director of Operations Update (RDML Darius Banaji)

• Operational Update (Euro-Med COL Frank Tank/Indo-Pac Col Brian Peterson)

• Partnerships and Innovations (PI) Update (Dr. Tom Holland)

• Scientific Analysis Update (Dr. John Byrd)

• AFMES-AFDIL Update (Dr. Tim McMahon )

• Outreach and Communications Update (Mr. Todd Livick)

• Question & Answer 

In addition to those listed above, Mrs. Jennifer Nasarenko from Policy & Plans also participated in 

the call.

Director’s Update

Congressional Hearing

On November 19, I testified before the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s National 

Security Subcommittee. Witnesses on a separate panel were B.J. Lawrence, Executive Director of 

the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ DC Office; Joanne Shirley, whose brother is unaccounted-for from 

the Vietnam War; and Mark Noah, President of History Flight, Inc., a DPAA contractor 

specializing in recoveries. While the Committee Members frequently reiterated fulfilling their 

oversight responsibilities, they were fair and supportive. Of note, Chairman Lynch (D-MA) stated 
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that he would like to lead a delegation to Laos next year; they were pleased to learn about our 

expanding use of private partners to increase our capacity; and they welcomed learning about our 

active leveraging of this mission as a tool of engagement and diplomacy, both with our host nation 

and State Department partners.

Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Budget

We were very pleased Congress passed and the President signed into law the FY 2020 Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, such that there were no adverse impacts to our operations. In addition to 

DPAA’s FY 2020 President's Budget request of $144.9M for Operations & Maintenance (O&M), 

Congress appropriated three Program Increases bringing DPAA’s O&M appropriation to $168.9M. 

The increases provide specified funding for: “Korean conflict” ($10M), “Missing in Action 

accounting program” (+$9M), and “Identifying remains from World War II (WWII) in US 

European Command” (+$5M). All of these added funds will be put toward our operational 

enterprise. To DPAA’s request of $1.5M for Procurement, Congress appropriated $1.1M.

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)

With the North Korean Leader’s refocus on renewal of weapons development and no progress of 

denuclearization negotiations, we do not anticipate the resumption of field operations with the 

Korean People’s Army (KPA) in the near term; our last communication with the KPA was in March 

2019. While we remain open to discussions with the KPA should the remote opportunity present 

itself, we will only be able to conduct one Joint Field Activity (JFA) in late summer. As an 

alternative, we are coordinating with our South Korean counterpart (MAKRI) on potential joint 

work, as they look to resume their recovery operations in April near Arrowhead Ridge in the DMZ. 

Misidentification

In October, our laboratory discovered a problem with an identification (ID) from last July of a 

Soldier missing from the Korean War; it was made on the remains of an Unknown disinterred in 

2018. We based the ID on the chest radiograph (CXR) comparison and biological profile, and 

supported by historical and circumstantial evidence. After the ID was made, one of the DNA 

samples did not match the mitochondrial references of the Soldier. We brought in the preeminent 

CXR expert who confirmed the misidentification, and both further DNA testing and isotope 

analysis supported his finding and also found no commingling. Army notified the family who 

requested an in-person briefing, which Army and DPAA will do together. To best determine what 

happened and where we need to improve to prevent future occurrences like this one, we initiated an 

internal cause analysis and will adjust our procedures as necessary. We will soon bring in a team of 

scientific experts to conduct an independent assessment of this case and our overall processes. 

Lastly, we have decremented our FY 2019 accounted-for total to 217.

Meeting with Lao Foreign Minister

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of meeting with Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay, who 

strongly pledged his country’s continued commitment to assist in the accounting of Americans 

missing from the Vietnam War in Laos. The Minister agreed with the need to increase the pace and 

scope of operations via operational efficiencies that we have proposed but have not been fully 

adopted. More importantly, he notionally supported our proposal for DPAA and the Lao 

POW/MIA Team to jointly develop a 10-year Strategic Plan on achieving the fullest possible 

accounting of missing personnel in Laos. 
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Past Travel 

My November trip to Europe included speaking at the Florence American Cemetery for their 

Veterans Day commemoration and a visit to the Dutch Army organization tasked to recover remains 

of any losses from past conflicts. By Dutch law, they are the only ones permitted to conduct 

remains investigations and recoveries, and had in their lab the remains of a US WWII Army loss 

they had recovered last year, which they will soon repatriate to us. We are looking to partner more 

with them. Earlier this month, I spoke at the Phase I Groundbreaking Ceremony of the National 

POW/MIA Memorial in Jacksonville, FL. Kudos to Moe Moyer, who is on this call, for 

spearheading a very impressive event. Not only will the memorial rightfully pay tribute to the 

service and sacrifices of POWs and MIAs, but also serve as an education and advocacy venue for 

the personnel accounting mission. 

Upcoming Southeast Asia Visit

In March, I will visit Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand to meet with officials from both the 

partner nation and U.S. Embassy to strengthen relationships and press initiatives, all of which 

advance our Vietnam War accounting mission in those countries. As part of the yearlong 

commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of US-Vietnam Diplomatic Relations, I will also host a 

couple of events highlighting the foundational contributions of the POW/MIA mission. We will lay 

a wreath at the first joint US–Vietnam excavation of a US loss site in the former North Vietnam that 

commenced 35 years ago in November, and the subsequent 10 years of cooperation that led to the 

establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries

VFW Turnover of Artifacts

On two occasions, I accepted from VFW leadership wartime artifacts that several of their members 

had turned in. The result of the VFW’s national advocacy campaign, these items included an 

enemy diary, and a narrative and map of an enemy burial site. Secretary of Defense Esper turned 

over the latter to his counterpart during his November visit to Vietnam; the Vietnamese greatly

appreciated the turnover.

Accounting Effort with China

Earlier this month, among the agreements reached during the U.S.-China Defense Policy 

Coordination Talks was China’s approval for two accounting activities this fiscal year (FY). Subject 

to any travel restrictions due to the public health situation in China, the first activity in the late 

Spring is a research and investigation visit to Beijing that will also attempt to plan a field 

investigation, and a senior leader engagement in early to mid-summer to secure approval of a 

formal agreement to strengthen cooperation on the POW/MIA mission.

Deputy Director for Operations Update

At the end of November, I visited the DPAA detachments in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. While 

in Southeast Asia, I briefed updates to the US Country Teams and held meetings with our 

counterpart organizations in both Vietnam and Laos. We continue to enjoy strong relations in these 

countries, which enables our mission success and helps to support both current and future field

operations. Additionally, I had the opportunity to visit JFA sites in Vietnam and Laos and spent 
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several hours working along our teams at 3 separate recovery sites. I can tell you it gave me a 

greater appreciation of the efforts it takes across this Agency to plan, prepare, execute, and sustain 

our teams in the field.

In early December, we hosted a multitude of visits at our Hawaii facility during Pearl Harbor week. 

Visitors included the President of the American Legion Auxiliary; the President and CEO of the 

USO; the Philippines Chief of Defense, and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable 

Greg Slavonic. On December 7th, I had the honor of representing the Agency at the 78th 

Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony of the attack on Pearl Harbor and at a more intimate 

ceremony at the USS Oklahoma Memorial later that afternoon.

The New Year began with several visits from both senior US and Foreign Government officials. 

His Excellency Katsunobo Kato, the Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare for the government of 

Japan visited our DPAA facility in Hawaii. Minister Kato’s visit represented a major step forward 

in the collaboration and cooperation between DPAA and the Government of Japan; it was a very 

positive and informative engagement. DPAA continues to emphasize to our Japanese counterparts, 

as well as any other nation seeking their missing, the importance of determining country of origin 

for recovered remains prior to any other action to include repatriation or, in Japan’s case, cremation. 

The visit was very positive and informative, and I am confident this engagement will lead to a 

greater level of cooperation between Japan and the US as we both continue to search for our 

unaccounted-for from WWII.

Over the last three weeks, we had the privilege of hosting the US Ambassador to Papua New 

Guinea, the Honorable Erin McKee; the US Ambassador to Malaysia, the Honorable Kamala 

Lakhdhir; and the newly confirmed US Ambassador to Laos, the Honorable Peter Haymond. 

Additionally, we had visits from the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia, Mr. 

Heino Klinck; and the spouse of the Acting Secretary of the Navy, Mrs. Robyn Modly. These visits 

are beneficial to DPAA because they provide an opportunity to communicate first-hand the size, 

scope, and complexity of our mission and they offer a platform to build meaningful relationships to 

further advance the accounting mission.

Lastly, in December, I started providing you with monthly macro-level updates on our ongoing 

missions around the globe. The intent of this new initiative is to provide you a better “real time" 

sense of our efforts in support of our noble mission. We also have been providing an executive 

level summary, to include photos, within a few weeks of a mission’s return date. These updates are 

in addition to these quarterly calls and follow-on notes. I hope you have been finding these updates 

informative and we continue to look forward to your feedback.

Operational Update

European-Mediterranean (EM) Region

November-January Field Operations

During this time period, we conducted three investigations and no recovery missions. Activities 

occurred in Poland and Panama. (The mission in Panama is for a loss that is outside DPAA’s 
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designated conflicts, however, DPAA is assisting the Navy on a reimbursable basis.) In mid-January, 

we will conduct three investigation missions. Activities will occur in Poland, Panama, and the United 

Kingdom. Investigation and recovery work conducted by partners occurred in Germany and Italy.

November-January Disinterment Operations

None. 

Planned February Operations

During this period, United Kingdom and Poland investigation missions begun in January continue. 

We will conduct one recovery mission in Panama. EM will further conduct one disinterment at 

American Battle Monuments Commission’s Rhone Cemetery on February 19.

US–Russia Joint Commission (USRJC) Update

Representatives from the US and Russian Sides of the USRJC participated in Technical Talks for 

the Korean War and Cold War Working Groups on December 12 in Moscow. Summarized 

minutes of both meetings will be posted to the DPAA website. Highlights from the Korean War 

talks included discussions of four specific individual cases of unaccounted for U.S. aircrew 

members, expanding declassification of archival records of Soviet military units and commands 

not previously accessed by U.S. researchers, as well as obtaining additional Soviet topographic 

maps of North Korea for the purpose of correlating the specific locations of 24 crash sites of 

downed U.S. aircraft. The Cold War talks included the continued planning of a previously 

postponed high priority recovery mission at a cemetery near Vladivostok, which possibly correlates 

to the November 6, 1951, loss of a US Navy P2V Neptune aircraft; identifying potential Russian 

partner organizations to assist with locating the wreckage of downed US aircraft lost over the Sea of 

Japan; as well as a request to search for additional gun camera photography taken by Soviet aircraft 

during Cold War incidents. Key Russian Side requests included assistance with providing an 

anonymous questionnaire to individuals now residing in the U.S. who potentially have knowledge 

of the burial locations of Russian soldiers and civilians lost during conflicts in Afghanistan and 

Chechnya, as well as help with determining the fates of two Russian airmen lost during the 2008 

conflict with the Republic of Georgia. 

US Side Chairman, General Doc Foglesong, USAF (Retired), is in Moscow this week to meet with 

his counterpart, new US Ambassador Sullivan, and other officials to continue to advocate for the 

work of the USRJC and the upcoming Plenum in May in Moscow. The Vietnam War and WWII

Working Groups will meet in DC March 3 for their respective Technical Talks.

Indo-Pacific (IP) Region

November-January Operations 

During this period, the Indo-Pacific Regional Directorate conducted missions in Laos, Vietnam, 

India, the Philippines, and Tarawa. Vietnam War missions consisted of JFAs in Laos (Oct 18 – Dec 

4) comprised of three recovery teams (RTs) and one investigative team (IT); and in Vietnam (Oct 

18 - Dec 4) consisting of three RTs, one host nation RT, and one IT. We currently have operations 

on-going in Laos (Jan 10 – Feb 18) with three RTs and one IT, and in Cambodia (Jan 12 – Mar 12) 

consisting of one RT. 
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The WWII, Korean War, and Cold War IP missions during this period included the ongoing 

recovery by our partner, History Flight Group, on Tarawa. They continue to recover remains as they 

near completion of a portion of Cemetery 33 and prepare to focus efforts on Cemetery 26. Other 

missions included a return visit to India by our partner, SEARCH, who advanced recovery of a 

crash site (Nov 1 - Dec 8), with successful recovery of possible remains. A first-ever joint 

US/Japanese/Solomon Islands Joint Forensic Review (JFR) was conducted in Honiara, Solomon 

Islands Dec 5 – 10. This JFR examined several hundred sets of stored remains to determine 

national origin and exercise developing protocols for remains handling that will be applied across 

the region. A Staff Engagement Visit to South Korea conducted case reviews, joint planning, and 

resource discussions with Ministry of National Defense Agency for Killed in Action Recovery and 

Identification (MAKRI) Nov 10-14. This provided our MAKRI partner with Demilitarized Zone

loss details for unilateral Korean investigation and joint recovery planning purposes for FY20. 

Advance work by a DPAA team has prepared for a quick, organic recovery likely associated with 

the Bataan Death March in the Philippines Jan 21-25. One RT is currently working a crash site loss 

in Monywa, Burma Jan 12 - Mar 12.

Research and Analysis

Nov 4 - 9, WWII researchers conducted a case coordination conference concentrating on overviews 

by countries-of-focus. Four DC-based research analysts brought their recommended leads for the 

Vietnam War to Hawaii Dec 16 – 20 to discuss each loss with the HI-based analysts. Also included 

in the meeting were two representatives from Detachment Two-Hanoi and three representatives 

from the DIA’s Stony Beach. Of the 500 losses, 283 included field leads that will drive future 

JFAs. The remaining cases involve US archival, imagery and lab analysis. IP Directorate 

researchers gathered Jan 6 - 10 to align research priorities and methods, validate cases for FY20 

Korea missions, identify cases for development in support of FY21 planning, and advance a fiveyear, long-term research plan.

November-January Disinterment Operations

48 Unknowns were exhumed from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. 

These Unknowns were part of Phase Two of the Korean War Disinterment Project. The remaining 

Phase Two Unknowns will continue through March 2020. We will disinter a series of WWII

Unknowns as we assess the Phase 2 disinterments prior to initiating Phase Three. 55 Exhumations 

occurred over the course of November through January in the Manila American Cemetery and 

Monument in the Philippines. We anticipate disinterring an additional 32 by the end of March 

2020. This brings IP’s total disinterments to 103 in the current FY.

Planned February Operations 

Vietnam operations will resume in February with two terrestrial RTs, one underwater RT, one IT, 

and one partner underwater IT (Feb 14 – Apr 1). Laos operations will continue as well into late 

February with three RTs Feb 28 – Apr 8). Our partner, University of Illinois-Chicago, will conduct 

missions in the Philippines with two RTs and one IT Feb 15 - Apr 30. 

Partnerships & Innovation (PI) Update

PI helped coordinate six field missions that partners commenced in the first quarter of FY20. These 

missions included terrestrial and underwater sites in countries such as Germany, Italy, India, and 

Poland. The PI team also actively engaged in planning and coordination efforts for 33 partner 
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missions currently anticipated during the remainder of FY20 (17 for EM, 16 for IP). We are 

attempting to expand the partnership footprint by sending partner teams to new countries or by 

increasing the numbers and types of projects that we conduct with partners. We are also attempting 

to line up more unilateral field activities whereby external institutions assist our mission without 

direct cost to DPAA.

In the first quarter, working with other staff sections, PI hosted 12 partner personnel, representing 9 

partner institutions, at our DPAA Academy. PI has spent the last quarter further expanding the 

bench of partners by negotiating 11 new signed partnership arrangements. There are many more of 

these arrangements in progress including a batch of renewal arrangements for those organizations 

that have been partners for several years, which indicates the maturation of our program. PI staff 

also engaged in extensive partnership development activities including exploratory discussions with 

potential partners, in-person collaboration meetings, and project oversight and assistance visits.

PI, along with other stakeholders, spent much of the first quarter finishing plans and preparations to 

rejuvenate the Hub & Spoke research program. This program will involve the efforts of 9 US 

academic institutions in collaborative research efforts. One of the institutions has already begun 

research work at this time, and we anticipate a rolling startup effort in the first half of FY20 for the 

rest of the organizations.

Scientific Analysis (SA) Update

Remains from North Korea

We continue to make excellent progress on our forensic analysis of the 55 boxes of remains we 

received from North Korea on August 1, 2018. To date, 44 identifications have been made and 

more are anticipated in the coming months. Surprisingly, from the over 500 commingled bones 

turned over, AFMES-AFDIL and DPAA Laboratory estimate that at least 250 individuals are 

represented, with being 80 non-US personnel, and of the 170 Americans, only 20 had been 

previously identified. We are working closely with MAKRI to ensure any that may be South 

Korean are returned to their country. JFRs have occurred already and a repatriation is being 

planned.

Accreditation

DPAA successfully passed its annual quality assurance review by ANAB, the Agency’s forensic 

testing accrediting body. The review not only validated our current quality assurance program, but 

also included an extension of scope for the Laboratory System. The DPAA Nebraska Lab added 

Chest Radiograph Comparison and field recovery to its scope, and the DPAA Hawaii Lab added 

Geographic Profiling of Human Remains for the Agency’s Isotope Program. DPAA is the first 

organization to have an accredited forensic testing laboratory for isotope analyses of human 

remains. 

FY 20 Identifications

Total = 27 (identifications of unaccounted-for personnel)

WWII = 23

Korean War = 4 

Vietnam War = 0
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Scientific Summit (Pacific)

DPAA will host in Hawaii in April a Scientific Summit that includes representatives from Vietnam, 

Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, India, the 

Netherlands, and Australia. The purpose of the summit is to bring together individuals and 

organizations directly involved in the resolution of missing persons cases from past conflicts in the 

Indo-Pacific Region. Topics to be addressed are treatment of discovered human remains and best 

practices for determining country of origin for skeletal remains. We hope that this will be 

beginning of a series of meetings that will bring closer together to achieve common goals.

AFMES-AFDIL Update

FY 19 Year in Review

FY19 Reported 3,777 DNA Analysis; a 25% increase over previous FY18’s 3,000 DNA Analysis; 

however, without a budget increase this will be our baseline.

FY20 goal is 4,400 DNA Analysis; as of December 31, have reported 1,184 analysis to the DPAA

FY19 issued 207 First-time Named DNA reports, these are DNA results that support new 

identifications. In FY18, AFMES-AFDIL issued 189 First-time Named DNA reports. For FY20, 

AFMES-AFDIL has issued 41 First-time Named DNA reports.

FY19 reported out 46 Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) samples per month with a 60% success 

rate in obtaining results. This was a 12% increase in success rates for samples tested compared to 

FY18. 

FY19 reported out 147 Mitochondrial (mt) DNA results per month with a 94% success rate.

FY19 Reported out 1,172 STR results with a 60% success rate

Added NGS Machines

Currently, we are finishing up the initial testing and validation work for the new NGS 

sequencing machines. Initial indications are that with these machines, we will be able to run 24 

to 48 samples per run. Current instruments allow 6 to 12 samples per run.

Outreach and Communications Update

Family Member Updates (FMU)

On November 2, the Agency hosted an FMU in San Juan, Puerto Rico for 36 family members of missing 

Department of Defense (DoD) personnel. All of the attending families were representing Korean War 

losses. The event was unique to Puerto Rico in that all but two of the briefings were given in Spanish. 

The two briefings in English were translated. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) provided the 

refreshments for the families. Prior to the FMU, a DPAA/AFMES outreach team briefed 30 Soldiers 

from three units, and Soldiers in school at Fort Buchanan who are in training and transitioning to 

become mortuary affairs specialists. Members of the team also briefed military and civilian leaders

from the Puerto Rico National Guard. 
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On January 25, DPAA hosted an FMU in Las Vegas, Nevada, with 198 family members,

representing 95 losses, attending. We also reached nearly 9000 viewers though our Livestream 

messaging. The VFW provided the refreshments for the families. Earlier in the week, a

DPAA/AFMES outreach team briefed 33 personnel from Nellis AFB and met with a staffer from 

Senator Rosen’s office. On Friday, Mr. McKeague briefed 30 members of the Chamber of 

Commerce Military Affairs Committee. On January 24, DPAA hosted a screening of the film, 

Blood Road, the story of Rebecca Rusch’s quest to discover information about her father, USAF 

Captain Steven Rusch, missing from the Vietnam War and accounted for in 2007. It chronicles her 

1,500 mile journey down the Ho Chi Minh Trail from Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia, 

visiting the site where her father’s plane crashed and how she came to terms with his loss. Both of 

Captain Rusch’s daughters, USAF Brig Gen Sharon Bannister and Rebecca briefly spoke to the 

over 65 attendees which included families of the missing from WWII, the Korean War and the 

Vietnam War, and DoD officials. The families were able to identify with Rebecca’s quest to find 

answers. 

Media Articles of Note:

POW/MIA Flag to Fly at Federal Sites Year-round

Military Times, November 8, 2019

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2019/11/08/powmia-flag-to-fly-at-federalsites-year-round/

Prominent federal buildings and national war memorials will now fly the iconic POW/MIA flag 

alongside the American flag throughout the year thanks to legislation signed into law.

The proposal, passed without objection in the House last month and the Senate earlier this year, is 

designed to help highlight the continued sacrifice of military families whose loved ones are still 

unaccounted for overseas, estimated at about 82,000 individuals. Veterans advocates praised the 

move as an important message to the entire country.

The flag — created in 1972 by the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing 

in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War — has been flown at numerous federal properties over 

the years, but typically only on special occasions and holidays.

WQED, PBS-Pittsburgh Documentary

Homecoming -- Sgt. Hamilton's Long Journey (30 minutes)

http://www.wqed.org/homecoming

The film is about DPAA's recovery and identification of US Army Air Forces Sgt Vernon 

Hamilton, of Monongahela, PA. Hamilton's aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire during WWII and 

went missing during a combat mission from Couvron, France to Dülmen, Germany.

WQED's community/media relations department held an advance screening in Monongahela in 

November.

This town was very supportive when their hometown son was returned for burial, and that poignant 

element is featured in the documentary. The documentary focuses on Hamilton's story, but also 

highlighted are the efforts of DPAA, History Flight, and others who helped identify and recover Sgt 
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Hamilton. Notably, the documentary includes a segment on the DPAA lab at Offutt AFB and 

DPAA's overall mission.

Among those interviewed: Kelly McKeague, Carrie LeGarde, Penny Minturn and Sarah Kindschuh. 

They also filmed at the Omaha Family Update.

Questions and Answers

Jewish War Veterans of the USA: Can you tell me the number of missing from the Vietnam War 

that have been returned. Answer: 1,059 (With thanks to Ms. Ann Mills Griffiths). The latest 

Vietnam War accounting statistics can be found on our web page at: https://www.dpaa.mil/OurMissing/Vietnam-War/Vietnam-War-POW-MIA-List/

American Legion: Thank you for hosting these calls and the work you do.

Disabled American Veterans: I did not hear you mention Panama in your list of countries 

participating in the Scientific Summit—were they invited? Answer: The Scientific Summit will 

bring together individuals and organizations directly involved in the resolution of missing persons 

cases from past conflicts in the Indo-Pacific. Panama is not among these.

Korea-Cold War Families of the Missing: I continue to be humbled by the work you all do and 

your accomplishments in spite of all the challenges. Thank you is not a strong enough word. Thank 

you to Admiral Banaji for the operational updates. They greatly add to our knowledge. Please keep 

them coming!

National League of Families: I want to echo Sherra’s thanks to Admiral Banaji for the operational 

updates. I was pleased to hear about your meeting with the Lao Foreign Minister—however, I am 

curious as to what has been done about the evidence-based analysis that was promised in order to 

accurately know what remains to be accomplished; will it be completed before the Lao 2030 strategy 

development? It is urgently needed. Answer: Yes, it will be assessed and used in developing the 

Lao 2030 strategy. 

Can you explain what you mean by partnerships at no cost to the government? Answer: As an 

example, there is a Swedish-owned company, Deep Sea Productions, which has research vessels that 

look for wrecks in the Baltic Sea. They are looking for a Cold War aircraft crash off of Latvia, and 

the only thing they ask from us is information sharing. Another example is the Scripps Institute 

performing underwater surveys in Vietnam that are of minimal to no cost to DPAA. We are looking 

at areas of commonality where our interests overlap. 

Special Operations Association: I would like to echo Ann in her thanks for the operational 

updates. Also, some of us on these calls are getting and I would ask the speakers to remember that 

and try to speak up and speak slowly. I thank you. 
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Korean War POW/MIA Network: Regarding the mis-identification, as you know, my group does 

research and advises families on the Korean War Unknowns, so I need to have the name of that misidentification so I can look into this for my families. Answer: We will send you information once 

the family has been briefed; we will ask if they are amenable to releasing the name. I can tell you 

now that it was a 2018 disinterment of an Operation GLORY Unknown. 

Honor Release Return: Thank you, Director McKeague for participating in the Jacksonville 

ceremony and your excellent presentation. We hope to get you back again for subsequent ground 

breaking ceremonies. Answer: Special thanks go to Moe Moyer, who is on this call, for 

spearheading the ceremony which both paid tribute to POWs, MIAs, and their families, and 

recognized the national commitment to account for those still missing. 

Todd, I read a news article about the Las Vegas Family Update that referenced 39,000 recoverable 

for WWII—is that now the number we are using.? Answer: The reporter failed to describe the 

more than 81,900 still missing and that we assess that approximately 39,000 are recoverable. We are 

attempting to get that story corrected. 

I know the road has been long to get the USRJC to get access to productive information. Does that 

number include those personnel who were transferred to Communist countries-- 20,000 from WWII, 

5,000 from the Korean War, and over 800 from the Vietnam War? Answer: The USRJC and the

DPAA’s Joint Commission Support Division (JCSD) that provides analytical and research support to 

the US Side remains active with planned or executed Technical Talks, joint Investigation/Recovery

missions, an Annual Plenum, and US/Russian Chairmen discussions for FY20. Regarding the 

alleged transfer of American POWs to the Soviets, I would recommend reading the article entitled 

“United States Prisoners of War and the Red Army, 1944-45: Myths and Realities” from The Journal 

of Military History 66 (July 2002) by Timothy Nenninger of the National Archives. He noted that 

“...several accounts alleged that up to 23,000 American POWs from WWII, had disappeared into the 

Soviet Gulag, abandoned, forgotten, never to be repatriated. This did not happen.” The 20-page 

scholarly article breaks down individual allegations and broad cases to refute the misrepresentation 

of facts from immediately after the war to the early 2000s regarding any transfer of American POWs 

to Communist countries. Also, he writes how the false WWII allegations misrepresent alleged 

transfers during the Korean War and Vietnam War. JCSD continues its work to pursue all research 

into Soviet combat records that provide insight into the US missing from WWII, Korean War, Cold 

War, and the Vietnam War. 

National League of Families: Regarding the use of the recoverable number, I just want to say that 

it is in our interests to introduce realism into our discussions and set realistic expectations. 

Otherwise we will lose the support of Congress. That is my opinion.