IS DPAA LEADERSHIP BEING HONEST WITH FAMILY MEMBERS AND CONGRESS?

The Numbers Game at DPAA: Real Progress or Just Good Marketing?

Let’s be clear: over 81,000 American service members are still missing from WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War. Of those, roughly 30,000 are considered potentially recoverable using today’s technology. And within that number are approximately 8,000 “unknowns” buried in marked but unidentified graves—service members like the U.S.S. Arizona crew, whose remains simply require a solid plan to get their names back.

What’s the DPAA doing about it? In the case of the U.S.S. Arizona, absolutely nothing—until more than 1,200 families got involved through Operation 85. Not every missing American has a name as iconic as “Arizona” or a network of dedicated families and researchers pushing for answers. That’s the uncomfortable truth.

Rather than thinking big, DPAA seems focused on protecting its small bureaucratic footprint while maintaining a sizable annual budget. And they market that mission exceptionally well—with glossy booklets, tightly produced videos, family update roadshows, and well-timed mainstream media appearances on national holidays. Tens of millions of dollars are funneled into these efforts — not into DNA recovery or accelerated casework, but into costly travel, branding and marketing. Meanwhile, projects like the U.S.S. Arizona identifications—projects that could actually deliver results—go unfunded, unnoticed, or outright dismissed.

Private citizen groups, veterans, charities, and families are the ones funding alot of the actual work and research, but this story is never told. And we at Operation 85 are just one of many organizations doing what DPAA should have been doing all along. Yes, we may be the loudest—and arguably one of the most successful—but we’re certainly not alone. And we don’t plan to “complete the Arizona case and settle down.” This is about more than one ship. It’s about what’s possible when someone refuses to accept “impossible” as an answer.

Because here’s the math: at DPAA’s current rate, resolving the 30,000 recoverable cases will take 196 years. So the question becomes—are we funding an agency designed to make us feel good about the patriotic mission? Or do we want to fund a solutions-driven, forward thinking agency committed to fulfilling the mission?

We all remember when Director McKeague told families that identifying the Arizona unknowns was “impractical.” And we all now see how that “expert” analysis is turning out. What else is missing the mark?

DPAA may not want to admit they underestimated Operation 85 or the resolve of our families. But with the largest, most organized coalition of families of missing service members, and the most iconic case in U.S. military history, we’re not going anywhere. We intend to use our voice—not just for the Arizona 85—but for all missing American heroes.

Because nothing is impossible—especially when the mission is fueled by truth, driven by families, and no longer left in the hands of those who said it couldn’t be done.