POW/MIA Statistics
Live Sightings
As of June 26, 1997, 1,860 first-hand live sighting reports in Indochina have been received since 1975; 1,782 (96%) have been resolved. 1250 (67%) were equated to Americans now accounted for (i.e. returned POWs, missionaries or civilians detained for violating Vietnamese codes); 45 (3%) correlated to wartime sightings still unaccounted for; 487 (26% were determined to be fabrications. The 77 (4%) unresolved first-hand reports are the focus of current analytical and collection efforts: 65 (3%) are reports of Americans sighted in a prisoners situation; 12 (1%) are now-POW sightings.
Accountability
At the end of the Vietnam War, there were 2,583 Americans prisoners, missing in action or killed in action/body not recovered unaccounted for. As of July 1, 1997, 2,118 are still missing and unaccounted for; a breakdown on the time frame during which the 465 Americans were accounted for follows:
1974-1975: Post war years - 28
1976-1978: US/SRV normalization negotiations - 47
1979-1980: US/SRV talks break down - 1
1981-1984: First Reagan Administration - 23
1985-1988: Second Reagan Administration - 153
1989-1992: Bush Administration - 106
1993-1997: Clinton Administration - 107
Over 90% of the 2,118 missing Americans were lost in Vietnam or in the area of Laos and Cambodia controlled by Vietnamese forces during the war. Unilateral SRV repatriations of remains have accounted for the vast majority of the 465; all but 3 of the Americans accounted for in Laos have been the result of joint excavations. The breakdown by country of the 465 Americans accounted for from the Vietnam war:
Vietnam - 347*
China - 2
Laos - 111*
Cambodia - 5
4 remains were recovered from indigenous personnel; 1 from North Vietnam and 3 from Laos. (Note: Statistics were provided by the Defense POW/MIA office.)
Iowa State Alumni who are still unaccounted for:
Maj Delbert R. Peterson USAF
Lt. Cdr John F. Davis USN
PFC Donald L. Sparks USA
Lt. James W. Herrick Jr. USAF
Lt. Cdr Jeffrey M. Krommenhoek USN
SSGT Charles D. King USAF
Col. Lawrence W. Whiteford Jr. USAF
"We Will not rest, until we have full accountability."
Information provided by National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
