Question

Who are POWs and MIAs?

Answer 1

POW = Prisoner of war
MIA = Missing in action.

Explanation:

A solider that goes missing in action and is later reported as begin captured is a Prisoner of War. Prisoners of War occur most often in declared or conventional warfare.

A soldiers that goes missing in action and whose body is not recovered, and is not reported as being captured is declared Missing in Action. After the Vietnam war some soldiers remained missing in action for over 20 years. Lately some of the bodies have been recovered and returned by Vietnam. These soldiers have been laid to rest and are no longer missing in action.

Answer 2

POW's = Prisoners of War, MIA's = Missing in Action. In the American context they refer to a specific group of American servicemen in the Vietnam War.

Explanation:

American servicemen in the Vietnam War (POWs) were imprisoned under harsh conditions. Many were held in the "Hanoi Hilton" a Colonial era prison facility in Hanoi, Vietnam. Senator John McCain was one of these. Many were pilots and aircrew shot down during bombing raids.

It is possible to go to the prison in Hanoi, it is now a museum most devoted to Vietnamese anti-colonial fighters who were imprisoned there during the French colonial era.

There was intelligence that indicated that some POWs were held in a country prison at Son Tay in Vietnam and a raid was organized to free them. The raid went ahead in November 1970 but the POWs were gone.

There have been extensive searches for American Servicemen (MIAs) in the South East Asia area. The thawing of the relationship between Vietnam and the US in the 1990s led to more co-operative efforts to find POW/MIAs. The American and Vietnamese Government are satisfied that all live Servicemen have been returned. There are still lingering doubts among US veterans and their families. There are still a number of servicemen unaccounted for their remains have not been found.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War_POW/MIA_issue
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ivory_Coast
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%E1%BB%8Fa_L%C3%B2_Prison