The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) is a task force within the U.S. Department of Defense whose stated mission is “to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing [or prisoners of war], as a result of the nation’s past conflicts” (Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command website: http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/index.php?page=home&ind). Their motto, “Until they are home,” reflects the priority of this joint command, so named because it is always composed of two or more branches of the military. This entry describes the history, procedures, and structure of JPAC, and examines the importance placed on recovering the dead, for the U.S. military and civilians alike.

JPAC operates from the island of Oahu, Hawaii, but its roots grew out of the Vietnam War, when two U.S. Army mortuaries operated in ...