American Prisoners of War
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
Congress defines a prisoner of war as a person who, while serving on active military, naval, or air service, is forcibly detained or interned in the line of duty by an enemy government or a hostile force.
| Total | WWI | WWII | Korea | Vietnam | Persian Gulf | Somalia | Iraq | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captured and interned | 142,246 | 4,120 | 130,201 | 7,140 | 725 | 47 | 1 | 9 |
| Returned to U.S. military control | 125,213 | 3,973 | 116,129 | 4,418 | 660 | 21 | 1 | 8 |
| Alive on Jan. 1, 1982 | 93,030 | 633 | 87,996 | 3,770 | 631 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Died while POW | 17,010 | 147 | 14,072 | 2,701 | 65 | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| Alive at the end of 2005 | 29,350 | 0 | 26,750 | 2,000 | 579 | 21 | 1 | 8 |
NOTES: n.a. = not applicable. Not included are military personnel considered missing in action: WWII, 78,773; Korea, 8,100; Vietnam, 1,807 (as of 2005); the Persian Gulf, 2; and Iraq, 1..
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
