WAR OF THE REVOLUTION 19 Aril 1775 - 20 September 1783 
Participants: 250,000 :: POWs: 18,152 :: MIAs: 1,426 :: Deaths In Service: 6,824 

WAR OF 1812 18 June 1812 - 24 December 1814 
Participants: 286,730 :: POWs: 20,000 :: MIAs: 695 :: Deaths In Service: 2,260 

MEXICAN WAR 24 April 1846 - 2 February 1848 
Participants: 78,718 :: POWs: 20,000 : : MIAs: 695 :: Deaths In Service: 2,260 

INDIAN WARS US Date 1815 - December1890 
Participants: 106,000 :: POWs: Many, few survived :: MIAs: Many :: Deaths In Service: 1,000 
Aboriginal American Date 1540 - 2004 
Participants: Unknown, in the millions :: POWs-MIAs: Unknown - Aboriginal Americans are the 
longest held documented POWs, serving into the 20th Century in excess of 28 years :: Deaths 
In Service: Millions

CIVIL WAR 12 April 1861 - 26 May 1865 
Union Participants: 2,213,365 :: Union POWs: 194,743 :: Union Deaths In Service: 364,511 
Confederate Participants: 1,082,119 :: Confederate POWs: 214,865 :: Confederate Deaths In 
Service: 134,563 

SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR 21 April 1898 - 12 August 1898 
Participants: 260,000 :: POWs: 8 :: MIAs: 72 Deaths In Service: 2,446 

WORLD WAR I 6 April 1917 - 11 November 1918 
Participants: 4,743,826 :: POWs: 7,470 :: MIAs: 116,708 :: Deaths In Service: 116,708 

WORLD WAR II 7 December 1941 - 2 September 1945 
Participants: 16,353,659 :: POWs: 124,079 :: MIAs: 30,314 
Deaths in Service: Disputed Numbers - All References Provided 
Military: 
• Keegan: 292,000 
• Harper Collins: 292,100 
• Britannica: 292,131 (not incl. 115,187 non-battle) 
• Compton's: 293,986 
• Urlanis: 300,000 
• Info. Please: 291,557 KIA + 113,842 other causes = 405,399 
• DoD: 291,557 KIA + 113,842 other = 405,399 
• Ellis: 405,400 
• Encarta: 292,131 KIA + 115,187 other causes = 407,318 
• Wallechinsky: 292,131 KIA + 115,187 other = 407,318 
• Eckhardt: 408,000 
• Small & Singer: 408,300 

Civilian: 
• Britannica: 6,000 

U.S. Merchant Marine: 8,300 mariners killed at sea, at least 1,100 died from wounds. Total 
killed estimated 9,300.

• All (undifferentiated): 
• Messenger: 300,000 

COLD WAR 2 September 1945 - 21 August 1991 
Participants: Classified :: POWs: Classified :: MIAs: 343 :: Deaths In Service: Classified :: 
Deaths In Service: 407,316 ERA 

KOREAN WAR 25 June 1950 - 27 July 1953 
Participants: 5,764,143 :: POWs: 7,140 :: MIAs: 8,177 :: Deaths In Service: 36,940 

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR 08 July 1959 - 27 January 1973 
Active Duty: 9,087,000 :: In-Country: 2,594,000 :: POWs: 2,583 :: MIAs: 3000-6000 :: Deaths 
In Service: 58,486 

USS PUEBLO 23 January 1968 - 23 December 1968 
Incident Personnel: 82 :: POWs: 82 :: POW Deaths In Incident: 1 

GRENADA 25 October 1983 - 2 November 1983 
Participants: 2,700 :: POWs: Unknown :: MIAs: 4 :: Deaths In Service: 20 

USS STARK 17 May 1987 
Participants: Unknown :: MIAs: 1 :: Deaths In Service: 36 

PERSIAN GULF WAR 16 January 1991 - 27 February 1991 
Participants: 650,000 :: POWs - MIAs: 52 :: Deaths In Service: 255 

SOMALIA 02 December 1992 - 15 September 1994 
Participants: Classified :: POWs: 6 :: MIAs: 2 :: Deaths In Service: 44 

Links
InterNetwork

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Died in Captivity (DIC) POWs 
Estimate by Conflict

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


• Second IndoChina War (SEA) 113 Acknowledged 
• Korean War 2,471 
• WW II Pacific Theater 12,500 
• WW II European Theater 1,200 
• WW II Hell Ships 2,700 
• USSR Several Hundred . It is hard to estimate how many DICs there are as a result of 
former the USSR's actions in transporting US POWs to Soviet bloc nations during and 
immediately after WW II, Korea and SEA. There is no doubt that some of the 
unaccounted-for US POW-MIAs ended up in Soviet Gulags, Psychiatric hospitals 
and third-party nations such as Czechoslovakia. We know at least several hundred 
men were interrogated by the Soviets, we have the interrogation reports, but the men 
never returned. 
• Cold War We have no reporting on DICs that is reliable or would meet POW medal 
requirements that we are aware of. Most Cold War losses went unacknowledged until 
a decade or so ago. We still have cases that are classified. There is evidence a number 
of Cold War losses fell into adversarial hands and ultimately died, we just have no way 
of knowing who at this time. 
• Persian Gulf War No official reporting from USG sources. Speicher can not be included 
as there is no firm evidence he was captured alive or perished in captivity. 
• Afghanistan 1 Confirmed, Neil Roberts, Navy SEAL Captured and Executed 
• Iraq 2 known, more suspected. The two are Piestewa and Walters. At the time of 
an-Nasiriyah (23 MAR 03) reports and film footage showed that some of the ambushed 
507th personnel had been evidently captured and eventually executed. Official USG 
statements immediately afterwards confirm this. There is an ongoing investigation, 
Walters was just confirmed (28 MAY 04) as being executed by his captors. He was 
posthumously awarded the POW medal in Spring 2004. 
• NOTE: These figures do not include civilians. A large number of nurses, doctors, 
missionaries, journalists, civilian contractors and others were captured, known to be 
POWs, yet never repatriated. We have some eyewitness reports of these people in 
captivity, being executed or dying of mistreatment, starvation or disease, but no remains 
have been returned. 
• Spring 2004, HR 4425 was introduced. The bill, if passed, would give all POWs who 
Died in Captivity the Purple Heart. Presently, Purple Heart regulations (which are VERY strict) 
do not include DIC POW personnel.








Back to North Carolina Military Page