Families of American missing suffer from "not knowing." It is emotionally difficult and painful, and many POW/MIA families, have had to endure such suffering for decades.
The Family Support, Legislative Affairs, and Public Affairs sections at DPMO work as a tight-knit team to communicate our work. We seek to reach both internal and external audiences to provide open and deliberate communication critical to our work on the fullest possible accounting.
We dedicate this section to the families of our missing. Here we detail some of the ways we provide access to officials, facts, and other resources to clarify our efforts to resolve POW/MIA matters.
Family Briefings
Each summer we help coordinate annual government briefings on DoD POW/MIA accounting initiatives. The Vietnam War briefings take place at the annual meeting of the National League of Families in Washington, DC. All families of Vietnam War missing are invited. The families of the Korean War and Cold War missing also get a briefing in the Washington, DC area. Combined, each year we reach about 300 family members at these meetings.
We invite family members from all wars to attend our "
Family Update" meetings held 10 times each year to augment the annual briefings. The meetings provide a means to inform POW/MIA family members of ongoing accounting efforts. DoD conducts these meetings all over the country so families may have direct access to government officials. About 100 family members (1000 yearly) and 20 government officials attend each meeting.
At the annual and regular update meetings, our briefers are senior officials, experts, and scientists who work the wide range of tasks associated with our mission. At the meetings, we present formal briefings, answer questions, and devote time for one-on-one sessions with family members.
We schedule these meetings at least six months in advance. Please contact your service casualty office for the next meeting near your hometown or view the current family update schedule.
Casualty Offices
Each of the Military Departments maintains casualty offices for the armed forces. The Department of State does the same for civilians. The officials in these offices serve as the primary liaisons for families concerning this issue. Full-time civilians who have worked this issue for many years and are experienced and knowledgeable help answer family member questions. Military officials also assist and help explain the methods used to account for families' missing loved ones. Each office dedicates for family use the following telephone numbers:
| United States Air Force |
1 (800) 531-5501 |
| United States Army |
1 (800) 892-2490 |
| United States Marine Corps |
1 (800) 847-1597 |
| United States Navy |
1 (800) 443-9298 |
| Department of State |
1 (202) 647-6769 |
Reports – News Items
The Family Support, Legislative Affairs, and Public Affairs sections produce a variety of pamphlets, booklets, flyers, news releases, and special reports. In addition, DPMO develops and publishes policy statements. Many thousands of these items go directly to the American public, members of Congress, and the families of our missing. Together they clearly state where we have been, where we are now, and where we hope to go in achieving the "Fullest Possible Accounting."
Information – Case Files
The flow of information to each family centers on the idea that the service casualty offices are the primary lifelines into our Government for each family. Our officials talk daily with our counterparts from the casualty offices to ensure mutual understanding and unity of purpose on POW/MIA matters. We share ideas on maintaining up to date case files and improving information flow to family members.
DPMO fully supports family access to redacted case files. An approved family member or previously designated person may visit our office to review files. We will ensure the appropriate officials attend. We do this to help resolve uncertainties and illuminate facts in an open and personal manner. This applies to all Korean War, Cold War, and Vietnam War families.
The person who wants to view the case file must initiate the process. First, he or she must establish the entitlement to review the file with the respective casualty office. The casualty offices make their determination based on US law. Once approved, the person who wants to view the case file should submit a written request. The process normally takes about 30 days from the date the request reaches DPMO.
If requested, DPMO will mail a copy of the declassified case file to authorized persons through the casualty office. In this way, we can provide a complete case file to families and previously designated persons without their incurring the expense and time in coming to Washington, DC. This declassified case file is identical to the redacted DPMO case file prepared for an on-site file review. Classified material in a DPMO case file usually deals with intelligence sources and methods. We do not divulge sources and methods to the family during an on-site review.
Public Documents
DPMO has provided nearly one million pages of text to the Library of Congress (LOC) and continues to provide more as it becomes available. Much of the information was formally classified and not available for public review. Researchers recognize the LOC as the research arm of Congress and the national library of the US. It is open to those above high school age without charge or special permission. Most of the text sent by DPMO to the LOC pertains to the Vietnam War. We have gone over these documents for accounting data and sent appropriate copies to families.
All the pages of text and photographs we sent to the LOC are available to the public. Please view the LOC's online catalog at the Internet locations:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pow/powhome.html
or
http://lcweb.loc.gov
The public may ask a local librarian to obtain LOC documents on an inter-library loan. This service is free of charge for selected reels of microfilm.
Some of the text we provide the LOC comes from translations of former Soviet Union documents. These pertain to all wars. Please view the documents at the Internet location:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/tfrquery.html
Another place to look is the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). They run the management of federal records.
DPMO has sent many thousands of pages of text to NARA, the majority of which pertains to the Cold and Korean Wars. This, however, includes many thousands of pages of Russian text covering all wars. We have examined these documents for accounting data, and when we find information pertaining to an individual we copy that information and provide it to the appropriate next of kin.
Researchers from NARA published two recent information papers on POW/MIAs. They developed their papers from NARA holdings. Reference Information Paper 90 covers the Vietnam War and Reference Information Paper 102 covers the Cold and Korean Wars. The public may order them from NARA using the toll free number 1 (800) 234-8861. Please visit the NARA Internet location for more useful information:
http://www.nara.gov
Responding to Questions
Everyday the casualty offices talk and communicate with families. They do this by letter, telephone, facsimile, and electronic mail. In addition, other government agencies keep families up to date on cases that have new information. DPMO does that primarily by bringing together experts and families at meetings around the country. Together these comprehensive methods of communicating result in thousands of contacts each month.
At DPMO, most of our communications to families goes through the respective service casualty offices. However, we provide general accounting news on the Internet and write more than 1000 letters to family members each year. Letters include answers to inquiries, thank you notes, and the passing of newly found documents. We always try to provide quick responses. Accuracy on specific inquiries remains the top priority. On average, we pull together the thoughts from officials in our office, external experts, and data from newly found source documents and mail out responses in fewer than 30 days.
