In honor of all the men and women who have protected our freedom in the past 228 years of the United States of America, we ask you to commit to wearing a Red Shirt every Friday to say Thank You. This simple gesture shows our nation’s troops our appreciation for the sacrifices they have made and carries on a tradition established at the end of World War II by the women’s Auxiliary of the VFW to honor and thank our returning troops.

WAR OF THE REVOLUTION 19 April 1775 – 20 September 1783 
Participants: 250,000 :: POWs: 18,152 :: MIAs: 1,426 :: Deaths In Service: 6,824

WAR OF 1812 18 June 1812 – 24 December 1814 
Participants: 286,730 :: POWs: 20,000 :: MIAs: 695 :: Deaths In Service: 2,260

MEXICAN WAR 24 April 1846 – 2 February 1848 
Participants: 78,718 :: POWs: 20,000 : : MIAs: 695 :: Deaths In Service: 2,260

INDIAN WARS US Date 1815 – December1890 
Participants: 106,000 :: POWs: Many, few survived :: MIAs: Many :: Deaths In Service: 1,000
Aboriginal American Date 1540 – 2004 
Participants: Unknown, in the millions :: POWs-MIAs: Unknown – Aboriginal Americans are the longest held documented POWs, serving into the 20th Century in excess of 28 years :: Deaths In Service: Millions

CIVIL WAR 12 April 1861 – 26 May 1865 
Union Participants: 2,213,365 :: Union POWs: 194,743 :: Union Deaths In Service: 364,511 
Confederate Participants: 1,082,119 :: Confederate POWs: 214,865 :: Confederate Deaths In Service: 134,563

SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR 21 April 1898 – 12 August 1898 
Participants: 260,000 :: POWs: 8 :: MIAs: 72 Deaths In Service: 2,446

WORLD WAR I 6 April 1917 – 11 November 1918 
Participants: 4,743,826 :: POWs: 7,470 :: MIAs: 116,708 :: Deaths In Service: 116,708

WORLD WAR II 7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945 
Participants: 16,353,659 :: POWs: 124,079 :: MIAs: 30,314
Deaths in Service: Disputed Numbers – All References Provided 
Military: 
• Info. Please: 291,557 KIA + 113,842 other causes = 405,399 
• DoD: 291,557 KIA + 113,842 other = 405,399

Civilian: 
• Britannica: 6,000

U.S. Merchant Marine: 8,300 mariners killed at sea, at least 1,100 died from wounds. Total killed estimated 9,300. [http://www.usmm.org/ww2.html]

• All (undifferentiated): 
• Messenger: 300,000

COLD WAR 2 September 1945 – 21 August 1991 
Participants: Classified :: POWs: Classified :: MIAs: 343 :: Deaths In Service: Classified :: Deaths In Service: 407,316 ERA

KOREAN WAR 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 
Participants: 5,764,143 :: POWs: 7,140 :: MIAs: 8,177 :: Deaths In Service: 36,940

SECOND INDOCHINA WAR (Vietnam)08 July 1959 – 27 January 1973 
Active Duty: 9,087,000 :: In-Country: 2,594,000 :: POWs: 2,583 :: MIAs: 3000-6000 :: Deaths In Service: 58,486

USS PUEBLO 23 January 1968 – 23 December 1968 
Incident Personnel: 82 :: POWs: 82 :: POW Deaths In Incident: 1

GRENADA 25 October 1983 – 2 November 1983 
Participants: 2,700 :: POWs: Unknown :: MIAs: 4 :: Deaths In Service: 20

USS STARK 17 May 1987 
Participants: Unknown :: MIAs: 1 :: Deaths In Service: 36

PERSIAN GULF WAR 16 January 1991 – 27 February 1991 
Participants: 650,000 :: POWs – MIAs: 52 :: Deaths In Service: 255

SOMALIA 02 December 1992 – 15 September 1994 
Participants: Classified :: POWs: 6 :: MIAs: 2 :: Deaths In Service: 44 
Operation Iraqi Freedom – as of 26 AUG 07
Officially US missing in IRAQ – 13
2 Military – 11 Civilians

Additionally, 4 Civilian Contractors working for a private security firm were abducted when their convoy was attacked late Fall 2006.

KIA and Non-Combat Deaths 3,722 Identified
Civilian Contractor Casualties – 900+

Operation Enduring Freedom - as of 26 AUG 07
MIA/DUSTWUN – 0 
KIA and Non-Combat Deaths 424 Identified
Persian Gulf War 1991: 3 Officially Unaccounted-For, 
12 Unofficially Unaccounted-For
Other personnel also remain unaccounted-for in Iraq, 9 of 14 crewmembers of the Spirit ’03 loss incident. As well as the A-6 loss with Barry Cook and Robert Dwyer who was lost with his F/A 18. At the conclusion of the Persian Gulf War 1991, all were classified as KIA/BNR. Michael Scott Speicher’s status was later upgraded twice… to MIA in 2001 and to Missing/Captured in 2002.

President Bush has even stated that more than just Speicher remain unaccounted-for from the first war with Iraq. His remarks last National POW-MIA Recognition Day – “Nearly 60 years after the end of World War II, the fate of more than 78,000 Americans who fought in that conflict remains unknown. More than 8,100 from the Korean War are missing, more than 120 from the Cold War, more than 1,900 from the Vietnam War, and three from the Gulf War. These Americans, who dedicated their lives to preserving and protecting our freedoms, will never be forgotten.”

COLOMBIA: 3 Hostages/POWs
Thomas Howes 
Marc Gonsalves 
Keith Stansell 
DOI : 12-13 February 2003

MIA
SouthEast Asia: 1,773 
Korea: 8,100 
Cold War: 123 
World War II: 78,773 
World War I: 4,452