VA

Prisoners of War/Missing in Action – Aging Veterans

By Katherine Voss AGNP-C

During their time in military service, aging Veterans may have been a Prisoner of War or known someone who was a prisoner of war (POW) or missing in action (MIA). Knowing this information can help nurse practitioners in diagnosing and treating aging Veterans. 

Since World War I, more than 142,000 Americans, including 85 women, have been captured and interned as POWs. This statistic does not include servicemen who are still unaccounted for or MIA (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs [VA], 2015). 

Of the over 142,000 former POWs, only about 20% are still living (about 22,641), since over 90% were captured and interned during the World War II era. Internment camps varied by year and location based on shelter, water, nutrition, and treatment. American Ex-Prisoners of War, a congressionally charted Veteran service organization, is a resource for archival information.

Based on the prisoner of war camp conditions, the health of many POWs was affected, and many died. Of those who survived, about 67% are in receipt of compensation for service-connected injuries, diseases, or illnesses (VA, 2015).

The most common illnesses are neuropsychiatric, including psychosis; dysthymic disorder (depressive neurosis); any of the anxiety states (e.g., PTSD); cold injury; traumatic arthritis; stroke; heart disease; osteoporosis; nutritional deficiencies, including avitaminosis, beriberi, malnutrition, and pellagra; helminthiasis; peripheral neuropathy; and digestive disorders, including peptic ulcer disease, chronic dysentery, irritable bowel syndrome, and cirrhosis of the liver (VA, 2015).

Many POWs seek care with the Veterans Administration, although some may be followed for their illnesses privately.

Although some Veterans who were in internment camps returned home, others are still unaccounted for. More than 81,600 Americans remain missing from WWII (72,391), Korean War (7,553), Vietnam War (1,584), Cold War (126), and the Gulf Wars/other conflicts.

Of those missing, 75% were in the Indo-Pacific region, and 50% are presumed lost at sea (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, n.d.). With improvements in global navigation systems, these numbers have decreased, although the impacts from losses of comrades in arms can contribute to lasting traumas.

Katherine Voss, AGNP-C
katherine.lange.voss@gmail.com