26 May 2025 – As the nation observes Memorial Day, it pauses to remember and honor the service members who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country. For the Ohio State University, it is also a moment to recognize the responsibility and privilege of supporting the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s (DPAA) sacred mission to account for Americans still missing from past conflicts and bring answers to the families of the fallen.

Through its partnership with DPAA, the Ohio State University Department of History supports meaningful, real-world research in areas like history and archival studies. A postdoctoral DPAA Partner Research Fellow is embedded at the university, spending their time digging into old maps, records, and reports to lay the research foundation that supports a wide range of DPAA operations, from initial case development to field mission planning.

“Advancing DPAA’s mission as the OSU DPAA Research Partner Fellow has been a highly rewarding experience personally and professionally,” said Dr. Ryan Nelson, the current DPAA Fellow with OSU. “As a specialist of modern Vietnamese history, I apply my research and foreign language skills to further multiple projects related to the conflict in mainland Southeast Asia, including reviewing and translating rare Vietnamese-language military publications containing information about downed U.S. airmen and joint U.S.-South Vietnamese commando operations. Having multiple family members who served in the Vietnam War, I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to DPAA’s accounting mission.”

Over the past three years, the Ohio State University has played a key role in advancing several DPAA projects. These include translation and archival research projects that support Vietnam War accounting activities, locating the photos of missing service members, and a major digitization project of World War II and Korean War-era documents. These efforts not only advance the university’s academic mission but also contribute to the profound national commitment to honoring those who never returned home.

As part of Dr. Nelson’s fellowship, he supervises and mentors a team of OSU student workers responsible for advancing a project to digitize chest radiograph logbooks from World War II and the Korean War. These logbooks contain vital information that connects individual names and service numbers to chest radiographs (x-rays) in DPAA’s possession. Ohio State students received training in archival methods from Dr. Nelson and have digitized over 70,000 pages of logbooks with the goal of creating a searchable database that supports the utilization of radiographs by DPAA’s Scientific Analysis Directorate. Through this project, students develop a diverse professional skillset in the digital arts. The internship program forms a major outreach objective for OSU’s public history undergraduate program.

According to History Professor David Steigerwald, who helped establish the DPAA-OSU Hub & Spoke program, “the partnership has allowed the Department to participate in the agency's unique and special work and has offered student interns valuable professional experience and skill building opportunities.”

As the nation reflects on Memorial Day, the Ohio State University proudly reaffirms its commitment to this important work. Through continued collaboration and historical inquiry, the university remains dedicated to ensuring that no hero is forgotten and every family receives the answers they deserve. 

Learn more about DPAA and its mission at www.dpaa.mil.