POW/MIA Accounting Agency closes fiscal year with record-breaking milestone

WASHINGTON (News-Press NOW) -- The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced it closed its 2025 fiscal year with a record-breaking 231 identifications.

The announcement, from a Facebook Post, shares that the feat was made possible by civilian and military researchers, field teams, laboratory experts, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner and DNA Identification Laboratory and the Service Casualty Offices.

One of the 231 identifications included Army Sgt. Simon Garelick, who died at 22 years old. Garelick is a St. Joseph Native and was captured and died as a prisoner of war during WWII.

Garelick was identified in October 2024 and was recently returned to Missouri on Tuesday, Sept. 30. He will be laid to rest alongside his mother and other relatives on Sunday, Oct. 5.

Across all military branches, 120 of the identifications were from WWII, eight were from the Vietnam War and 48 were from the Korean War.