The families of the 43 Australian Servicemen who remain Missing In Action from the Korean War continue to advocate for the location, recovery and identification of their loved ones.
An important avenue for this advocacy is the Korean War Missing In Action (MIA) Working Group (UWC-A Korean War Project website). This was established in 2015 as a collaborative initiative between the Australian Army’s Unrecovered War Casualties (UWC-A) unit, the Historical Unrecovered War Casualties – Air Force (HUWC-AF), and the Royal Australian Navy’s Sea Power Centre, following representations to the then Minister of Defence by Mr Ian Saunders OAM and RADM (Rtd) Ian Crawford AO.
The Working Group meets bi-annually in Canberra and provides a structured forum for families to engage directly with Defence. Jointly chaired by UWC-A and HUWC-AF, it brings together family representatives, veterans’ organisations (including Korea Veterans’ Association, RAR Association and the Australian Council of Korean War Veterans), representatives from the Australian Army, Air Force and Navy, and international representation on the part of the Republic of Korea. Minutes of meetings are circulated to families and available on the UWCA website (above).
Ongoing engagement between Defence and the US Defense Personnel Accounting Agency (DPAA) and the Republic Of Korea’s Ministry of National Defense for Killed In Action Recovery (MAKRI) is underpinned by formal Memoranda of Understanding, established at the initiative of the Working Group.
While the current geopolitical conditions mean that access to the majority of last known locations, mostly within the DMZ or North Korea, remains restricted, the families and the Working Group remain committed to all possible avenues of investigation, and hopeful that the situation on the Korean Peninsula will improve to enable dialogue to occur. The long-term goal is to be fully prepared to resume recovery efforts as soon as circumstances permit.
Families of the missing are encouraged to contribute to VWMA any relevant documents and photographs to commemorate their loved one’s service and sacrifice.
Lest we forget.
