Revolutionary War,
1775 - 1783
Naval War with
France (Undeclared),
1798 - 1801
War with the
Barbary Pirates,
1801 - 1805
and 1815
War of 1812,
1812 - 1815
Mexican War,
1846 - 1848
Civil War,
1861 - 1865
Spanish-American
War, 1898
China Relief
Expedition,
1900 - 1901
Pacification of
Nicaragua,
1912 - 1913
Unites States
Interventions in
Mexico,
1914 - 1917
Pacification of
Haiti and the
Dominican Republic,
1915 - 1918
World War I,
1917 -1918
World War II,
1941 -1945
Korean Conflict,
1950 -1953
Vietnam War,
1964 -1973
Lebanon
Peacekeeping
Mission,
1982 - 1984
Operations
Desert Shield and
Desert Storm,
1990 - 1991
American Prisoners
of War
(20th Century)
|
In Memoriam
Between the War for Independence and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the armed
forces of the United States have participated in twenty-one principal wars and in numerous
smaller conflicts and operations. In each of these American men and women have paid a high
price for the nation's freedom, selflessly sacrificing life or limb for an honorable cause.
Principal sources of information for the figures, explanatory text and
illustrations appearing below include the National Archives and Records Administration; U.S.
Navy Historical Center; Department of Defense; Department of Veterans Affairs; and The Oxford
Companion to American Military History, from which all quotations are taken.
American Prisoners of War (20th Century)
| |
Total |
WWI |
WWII |
Korea |
Vietnam |
Gulf |
Somalia |
Bosnia |
Kosovo |
Captured and
Interned |
142,233 |
4,120 |
130,201 |
7,140 |
745 |
23 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
Returned to
US Military
Control |
125,208 |
3,973 |
116,129 |
4,418 |
661 |
23 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
Refused
Repatriation |
21 |
0 |
0 |
21 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Died While
POW |
17,004 |
147 |
14,072 |
2,701 |
84 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Alive,
Jan. 2002 |
42,781 |
0 |
39,719 |
2,434 |
601 |
23 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
|
