Remembering MIA's for Memorial Day

This is the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Here in Washington, that meant the morning commute was just a dream. But it is also a good time to remember those who died in service to the country.

Poynter's Al Tomkins does a morning note featuring possible story ideas. And he always does a great job providing all sorts of links where one can get more information. Yes, this is how I start each day.

This morning, he highlighted those missing in action.

The Defense Department says there are still 88,000 official MIAs -- servicemen and servicewomen who went missing in action.

Of the 88,000 Americans missing in action from WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War and Desert Storm, 1,833 are from the Vietnam War, with 1,397 of those within the country of Vietnam. Another 750 Americans have been accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War, with 524 of those from the country of Vietnam.

There are "official" pages summarizing the work being done in various countries to identify and find MIAs.

Here is the official DOD Web site on MIAs.

The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office has set June 15-17 as the dates for its 2005 annual briefings to all families of missing from the Vietnam War. Click here for additional information.

Here is a list of the Service Casualty Offices for each military branch that works with families of the MIAs.