To be entitled to POW status, captured persons must be lawful combatants entitled to combatant's privilege—which provides immunity from punishment for lawful acts of war, such as killing enemy …

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency remains relentless in its mission to provide the fullest possible accounting to their families and the nation, until they're home.

POWs were a major focus of the war crimes trials in the Pacific. Former POWs like Sgt. Peter Dzimba were called on to speak for those who could no longer speak for themselves. More than 120,000 …

Oct 25, 2022 · Life as a POW meant many forced marches in subfreezing weather, solitary confinement, brutal punishments and attempts at political "re-education." Here prisoners received their first …

Jan 7, 2026 · prisoner of war (POW), any person captured or interned by a belligerent power during war. In the strictest sense it is applied only to members of regularly organized armed forces, but by …

Aug 10, 2025 · A prisoner of war (POW) is an individual held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately following an armed conflict. This status is rooted in international law, which aims to …

The Third Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War became the cornerstone of all modern POW law, a direct response to the failures of the past and a promise to future generations …

Official U.S. Government website for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Our mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day was established by Congress to honor those armed service members held captive, who returned or who remain missing, while fighting in the nation's foreign wars.

Jun 1, 2022 · In international armed conflict, such persons are known as prisoners of war (PoWs) and have always been particularly vulnerable to abuse, due to their affiliation with the enemy and the fact …