IL HR0680

Recognizes approximately 21.7 million veterans living in the United States, including 3,000-4,000 World War II veterans, 300-400 Korean War veterans, and 65 Vietnam War veterans from Illinois.

Notes that over 80,000 American service personnel remain classified as Missing in Action (MIA), with many still unaccounted for in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, North Korea, China, and Russia.

Supports efforts to locate and return missing Illinois service members, including reestablishment of the former Select U.S. Sub-committee on POW-MIA Affairs.

Urges U.S. Military organizations to follow Department of Defense rules and policies when DPAA JFI-JFR teams conduct excavations of potential grave sites to avoid compromising investigations.

Calls on the Department of Defense DPAA to reclassify those listed as Dead-XX onto the Master Excavation Listing (MEL) country by country to provide equal opportunity for recovery and identification.