POW/MIA
Unaccounted military personnel
POW/MIA stands for prisoner of war/missing in action, a designation for military personnel unaccounted for during or after armed conflict.
The combined term became prominent after the Vietnam War, when the status of thousands of American servicemen remained uncertain.
The black-and-white POW/MIA flag, depicting a bowed head behind barbed wire, flies at government buildings and veterans' memorials: The POW/MIA flag flew beneath the Stars and Stripes.
Confined criminal detainee
- detentionTemporary official holding
- internmentWartime civilian imprisonment
- campTemporary outdoor shelter site
- confinementState of being restricted
captive · held · incarceration · Hanoi Hilton · bamboo cage · torture · interrogation · solitary
Ornamental wrist band
- flagCloth symbol or signal
- memorialThing preserving remembrance
- vigilPurposeful nighttime wakefulness
- honorHigh regard, moral dignity
tribute · family · waiting · hope · yellow ribbon · recognition · ceremony · Wall
Not included or explained
- remainsContinues in place
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
- identificationEstablishing who someone is
- searchAct of seeking
repatriation · crash site · jungle · wreckage · excavation · forensics · DNA · dog tags
Authority over a state
- negotiationsFormal discussion seeking agreement
- diplomaticTactful and sensitive
- activismDirect effort for reform
- resolutionFormal decision or determination
disclosure · investigation · John McCain · Ross Perot · task force · committee · legislation · lobbying
Vietnam's seat of government
- jungleDense tropical forest
- Southeast AsiaTropical peninsula and islands
- Paris Peace Accords1973 Vietnam War settlement
- LaosIndochinese landlocked republic
Cambodia · bamboo · tiger cage · reeducation · Saigon · tunnels · Viet Cong · DMZ
prisoner
Confined criminal detainee
- detentionTemporary official holding
- internmentWartime civilian imprisonment
- campTemporary outdoor shelter site
confinement · captive · held · incarceration · Hanoi Hilton · bamboo cage · torture · interrogation · solitary · cell
bracelet
Ornamental wrist band
honor · tribute · family · waiting · hope · yellow ribbon · recognition · ceremony · Wall · dedication
unaccounted
Not included or explained
- remainsContinues in place
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
- identificationEstablishing who someone is
search · repatriation · crash site · jungle · wreckage · excavation · forensics · DNA · dog tags · presumed dead
government
Authority over a state
- negotiationsFormal discussion seeking agreement
- diplomaticTactful and sensitive
- activismDirect effort for reform
resolution · disclosure · investigation · John McCain · Ross Perot · task force · committee · legislation · lobbying · transparency
Hanoi
Vietnam's seat of government
- jungleDense tropical forest
- Southeast AsiaTropical peninsula and islands
- Paris Peace Accords1973 Vietnam War settlement
Laos · Cambodia · bamboo · tiger cage · reeducation · Saigon · tunnels · Viet Cong · DMZ · Ho Chi Minh Trail
- veterans groupsAmerican Legion, VFW, war veterans, combat veterans, disabled veterans
- war memorialswar memorial, war monuments, war memorials, military cemeteries, veterans memorials
POW/MIAaccounted for
Provided explanation or justification
killed in action · KIA · active duty · honorably discharged · veteran
POW/MIAaccounted for
Provided explanation or justification
KIA · identified · closed file · resolved · interred
POW, MIA, prison, imprisonment