Soldiers boots, referred to as material evidence, recovered from a WWII battlefield awaiting forensic analysis in JPAC's Central Identification Laboratory on Oahu, Hawaii.

Soldiers mud caked boots, referred to as material evidence, recovered from a WWII battlefield awaiting forensic analysis in JPAC's Central Identification Laboratory on Oahu, Hawaii. Material evidence from an excavation site in the laboratory of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, or JPAC, Hickam Air Force Base, Oahu, Hawaii. Lab scientists use a variety of techniques to establish the identification of missing Americans, including analysis of skeletal and dental remains, sampling mitochondrial DNA, and analyzing material evidence, personal effects and life support equipment. The command was activated on Oct. 1, 2003, created from the merger of the 30-year-old U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii, and the 11-year-old Joint Task Force - Full Accounting. The mission of JPAC is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation's past conflicts. On average, JPAC identifies about six MIAs each month. To date, the U.S. government has identified over 1,400 individuals.