Final Accounting and Closure for a Nation
Abstract
The United States is committed to the return of its prisoners of war (POWs) and missing in action (MIAs). The dark silhouette of a man with the words "You Are Not Forgotten" represents this effort. It is displayed prominently in every government building and Veteran of Foreign Wars Post as a symbol of our nation's determination, almost an obsession, to recover those service members listed as POWs or MIAs. Can the United States recover all its POWs and MIAs? Given the numbers, locations, and resources available to accomplish the task, it seems impractical. The current political, social, and economic policies that guide the recovery process are flawed and require a fairer distribution of worldwide recovery assets. Political links have created an unequal allocation of limited recovery resources to one conflict: Southeast Asia. As the recovery teams venture into more austere locations, the possibility of losing another service member's life to recover a service member's remains increases. In the future, the United States will have to determine when the social and economic costs outweigh the recovery of every service member who is missing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 08, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA498305
Entities
People
- Patrick J. Reynolds
Organizations
- Marine Corps University