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Operation Iraqi Freedom

Spc. Ahmed K. Altaie

Spec. Altaie has been unaccounted for since Oct. 23 2006 when he allegedly was kidnapped. He is assigned to the Provincial Reconstruction Team Baghdad as a translator.  He was officially listed as MISSING/CAPTURED on December 11, 2006
 

Operation Desert Shield/Storm

Capt. Michael Scott Speicher

On January 18, 1991, Speicher's aircraft was hit by an Iraqi SAM (surface-to-air missile) and crashed during the first Coalition offensive of "Operation Desert Storm."  Initial reports by Defense Secretary Dick Cheney stated that Speicher had been killed.  One military source said reports indicated the aircraft had "exploded to bits" in the sky, apparently having suffered a direct SAM hit.  Some aircraft wreckage was later found but his remains were never recovered.

His official status as been changed several times over the years.  Originally listed as Missing in Action, his status was changed to Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered in May 1991.  In January 2001, his official status was reverted back to Missing in Action.  Lastly in October 2002, the US Navy changed Speicher's status to MISSING/CAPTURED.

The following information comes from the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office...

Vietnam

The U.S. government continues to account for Americans missing in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War. Since late 1973, the remains of over 700 Americans killed in that war have been returned and identified. Many have been buried with full military honors in accordance with the wishes of surviving family members. Efforts continue to recover nearly 1,800 Americans who remain unaccounted-for from the conflict.

Killed in Action, Body not Recovered	902
Died in Captivity, Remains not Returned	34
Missing (Civilians Only)	11
Prisoner (Civilians Only)	8
Presumptive Finding of Death	812
Total	1767

North Carolina's missing from the Vietnam War...

Status codes:
  BB - Killed in Action, Body Not Recovered
  XX - Presumptive Finding of Death

Cold War

From the closing days of World War II until the fall of the Berlin Wall, our nation led the struggle to save the free and democratic countries of the world from communist aggression. In addition to the thousands of service members who fought communist forces during "hot" wars such as Korea and Vietnam, many risked -- and some lost -- their lives while collecting vital intelligence on military forces of the Soviet Bloc, the People's Republic of China, and North Korea during "peacetime." The sacrifice made by these Cold War Warriors enabled the United States and our allies to contain the threat of communist expansion until the collapse of the Soviet Union.

	Aircrew	Returned or Recovered Alive	Remains Recovered	Missing
Air Force	81	3	21	57
Navy	79	7	6	66
Marine Corps	1	0	0	1
Civilians	4	2	1	1
Totals	165	12	28	125

Korean War

The Korean War accounting effort remains a high priority for the U.S. Government.  DPMO aggressively pursues any opportunity to gain access to actual loss sites within North Korea.  Joint Field Activities (JFAs) conducted between 1996 and 2005 yielded over 220 sets of remains that are currently being processed for identification.

The DPMO lists 8,178 personnel as missing from the Korean War.

North Carolina's missing from the Korean War...

...total count: 201

World War II

World War II ended on August 15, 1945.  Nearly 406,000 of the 16 million Americans who served in the war died.  At the end of the war, the USG was unable to recover, identify, and bury approximately 79,000 as known persons.  They include those buried with honor as unknowns, those lost at sea, and those missing in action.  That number also includes the 1,100 sailors entombed in the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.  Today, more than 78,000 Americans remain unaccounted-for from WW II.