Beyond the Battlefield: The Search for World War II’s Missing in Action by DPAA and Its Partners

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Beyond the Battlefield: The Search for World War II’s Missing in Action by DPAA and Its Partners," at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency's mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel from past conflicts to their families and the nation. As of June 2023, over 81,000 Americans remain unaccounted for. Of this number, more than 72,000 of these individuals are from the Second World War. The search for these service men and women is a global effort that requires teamwork, innovation, and adaptation.

This symposium offers a closer look at field efforts on World War II sites led by both DPAA and partner organizations. The different approaches, methodologies, and collaborations highlighted in this session offer a window into the wide range of archaeological approaches taken to document and ultimately resolve cases as part of our nation’s accounting mission.