A Searchable Database for Missing Marines.

The Missing Marines List tracks all unaccounted-for Marine Corps and attached Naval personnel from September 1941 to Feburary 1946, as well as those who have been accounted for since 7 December 2011 – the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

You can sort the Missing Marines List by the following parameters:

Name: the name under which an individual served in World War II. Note that this is not always the same as a birth name. For example, Jesse Rutherford Jr. served as “Raymond Miller” and his identity was not revealed until after his death.

Unit: the last-known military organization with whom an individual served. Examples:

• 2nd Marines (B/1) is Company B, First Battalion, 2nd Marines.
• “Marine Detachment” is a small Marine unit serving aboard a larger Navy installation, either a station or a ship.

Squadrons are abbreviated according to 1940s regulations:

VMB – Bomber
VMBF – Fighter Bomber
VMD – Photographic
VMF – Fighter
VMF(N) – Night Fighter
VMJ – Utility
VMO – Observation
VMSB – Scout Bomber
VMTB – Torpedo Bomber
VMTD – Target Towing

Higher echelon aviation units are designated as MAG (Marine Air Group) or MAW (Marine Air Wing)

Location: the approximate area or battle in which the individual was last seen. Somewhat rough in the case of aviators whose exact last position is not known.

Loss Date: the date the individual was reported KIA or missing in action; essentially the last time they were known to be alive. Official “declared dead” dates for MIA personnel are commonly given as one year and one day after they were reported missing, though longer intervals are not unusual. Loss Date is not the same as Declared Dead.

Town: The official address on file for the individual, almost always the residence of their emergency next of kin. Due to family members moving during the war, this is not always the same as a “hometown” where an individual grew up.

State: Same as above. Note that states with heavy military presence or training camps (e.g. California and Florida) are unevenly represented; this is often due to spouses or parents moving to be closer to their serviceman or for war work.

Accounted: Whether the individual has been officially accounted for by the DPAA since December 2011.

There are currently no plans to expand Missing Marines to include other branches (outside of cases directly related to USMC losses) or other eras. For updated info on  missing service personnel from other eras, visit the DPAA’s official lists:

World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Cold War
Iraq & Other Conflicts

(Note: the DPAA is not in active pursuit of any World War 1 cases.)

However, Missing Marines fully supports the research and recovery of all service members. If you’re seeking information about another branch or conflict, send us a message and we’ll be glad to assist.

The original Missing Marines List was based on the official tally published by the now-defunct Defense Prisoner of War Missing Personnel Office (DPMO). It has undergone countless revisions since 2011 as new information comes to light. The list is regularly checked against Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) data for discrepancies.

Principle primary sources include:
Official Military Peronnel Files (OMPF)
Individual Deceased Personnel Files (IDPF)
USMC Casualty Cards
War diaries and operational reports

Photographs are pulled from a variety of period publications, official files, archival collections, and public records. For more information about specific sources, contact the webmaster.