In Search Of... Season 6 # 4, M. I. A.s

During American involvement of the Vietnam war 57,000 men lost their lives. Over 100,000 wounded were rescued. During air missions over Vietnam and Laos over 1,000 Americans were shot down or lost control of their planes. Their fellow officers were the last to see them alive.
What happened to our servicemen who went down behind enemy lines? Could new evidence mean that Americans are still alive in the jungles of Indo-China? Nearly 10 days have passed since that day of reunion. Today the families of 2,500 men who didn't come home wonder what has become of them?

Paris 1973. Vietnam peace-talks show progress. On January 27th, secretary of state Henry Kissinger brings an official end to American involvement in Vietnam. Today only 13 of the 1,300 MIAs have been re-classified as "presumed dead". Some prisoners have been shot, some held in prisons and some moved to camps. Some lived in the jungles surviving on whatever food they could get.
When the boat-people came they brought with them information that Americans were held prisoners in various camps. A rescue operation was launched in 1980 without any specific knowledge in which country to search or in which camp - unsuccessfully.

A monument in memory to those missing has been unveiled.