Risk of rain 2 items disappear12/31/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() Thereafter the dead were routinely buried in mass graves and scant official records were retained. ![]() This made the already difficult task of identification even harder. The usual problems of identification caused by rapid decomposition were exacerbated by the fact that it was common practice to loot the remains of the dead for any valuables e.g. ![]() The list is long and includes most battles which have ever been fought by any nation. The numerous wars which have occurred over the centuries have created many MIAs. However, many of these identifying procedures are not typically used for combatants who are members of militias, mercenary armies, insurrections, and other irregular forces. Otherwise, some relatives may suspect that the missing person is still alive somewhere and may return someday. Having positive identification makes it somewhat easier to come to terms with their loss and move on with their lives. In addition to the obvious military advantages, conclusively identifying the remains of missing service personnel is highly beneficial to the surviving relatives. However, by wearing identification tags and using modern technology the numbers involved can be considerably reduced. It is a fact of warfare that some combatants are likely to go missing in action and never be found. Although it is possible to take genetic samples from a close relative of the missing person, it is preferable to collect such samples directly from the subjects themselves. The development of genetic fingerprinting in the late 20th century means that if cell samples from a cheek swab are collected from service personnel prior to deployment to a combat zone, identity can be established using even a small fragment of human remains. When missing combatants are recovered and cannot be identified after a thorough forensic examination (including such methods as DNA testing and comparison of dental records) the remains are interred with a tombstone which indicates their unknown status. As a result, the remains of missing combatants might not be found for many years, if ever. Finally, since military forces had no strong incentive to keep detailed records of enemy dead, bodies were frequently buried (sometimes with their identification tags) in temporary graves, the locations of which were often lost or obliterated e.g. Alternatively, there could be administrative errors the actual location of a temporary battlefield grave could be misidentified or forgotten due to the " fog of war". Additionally, the combat environment itself could increase the likelihood of missing combatants such as jungle warfare, or submarine warfare, or aircraft crashes in remote mountainous terrain, or at sea. Although wearing identification tags proved to be highly beneficial, the problem remained that bodies could be completely destroyed (ranging from total body disruption to outright vaporization), burned or buried by the type of high-explosive munitions routinely used in modern warfare or in destructions of vehicles. However, in the case of the British Army the material chosen was compressed fiber, which was not very durable. These were usually made of some form of lightweight metal such as aluminium. Starting around the time of the First World War, nations began to issue their service personnel with purpose-made identification tags. As a result, if someone was killed in action and their body was not recovered until much later, there was often little or no chance of identifying the remains unless the person in question was carrying items that would identify them, or had marked their clothing or possessions with identifying information. Until around 1912, service personnel in most countries were not routinely issued with ID tags. Becoming MIA has been an occupational risk for as long as there has been warfare. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave have been positively identified. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, executed, or deserted. Missing in action ( MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. The Garden of the Missing in Action in the National Military and Police Cemetery in Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. ![]()
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