About Project Recover

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Welcome Home: (L to R, top to bottom)
SSgt. Jimmie Doyle, SSgt. Leland D. Price, Major Paul Avolese, AOM1c Anthony Di Petta, ARM3c Walter “Bert” Mintus, F/O William B. Simpson
ARM1c Wilbur A. Mitts, AOM2c Ora H. Sharninghouse Jr, TSgt. Charles T. Goulding, 2nd L/T Frank J. Arhar, TSGT Robert J. Stinson
ARM1c Arthur C. Miller, 2nd LT Jack S.M. Arnett, Navy Reserve Lt. William Q. Punnell, SSgt. Earl E. Yoh, ARM2c Albert “Bud” Rybarczyk

For over 30 years, Project Recover has been the nation’s leading citizen-led, non-profit organization to search, locate, document, recover, and repatriate the over 81,500 American service members missing in action and to bring recognition and closure to the estimated 5,000,000 MIA Gold Star family members. Project Recover is the only non-governmental organization (NGO) with full vertical capabilities in the POW/MIA recovery space, which includes operational missions in both underwater and land environments. 

In 2012, Project Recover partnered with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of Delaware’s School of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. These collaborations, along with Project Recover’s partnership with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and Legion Underseas Services, have enabled Project Recover to document dozens of war sites associated with hundreds of MIAs.

Project Recover has completed over 100 missions in 24 countries, discovered and documented more than 75 aircraft associated with MIAs, developed a growing database of more than 700 cases associated with more than 3,000 MIAs, accounted for over 80 missing-in-action service members, repatriated 17 American heroes, and anticipate the identification of 26 MIAs by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) by the end of 2025.

Our Most Recent Homecomings

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Aviation Ordnanceman First Class
Anthony Di Petta
United States Navy
Date Missing: September 10, 1944
Date Repatriated: January 3, 2023

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Aviation Radioman First Class
Wilbur A. Mitts

United States Navy
Date Missing: September 10, 1944
Date Repatriated: February 3, 2023

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Help Project Recover locate
American Service Members
Missing in Action

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Project Recover in Action

Fast Facts:

Based on Project Recover's Work

75+

Completed Missions

20+

Countries & Territories

65+

Aircraft Located

250+

Associated MIAs

3000+

MIAs associated with on going investigations.

17+

Repatriated MIAs 

100+

Awaiting MIA Recovery Missions

700+

Cases in growing database 

Co-Founders

Mark Moline, Ph.D.

Mark Moline, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Harrington Professor of Marine Studies in UD’s School of Marine Science and Policy.

Pat Scannon, M.D., Ph.D.

Pat Scannon, M.D., Ph.D.
Founder, The BentProp Project, Limited. President Emeritus, Project Recover

Eric Terrill, Ph.D.

Eric Terrill, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Director, Coastal Observation Research & Development Center, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Principal Investigators

Pat Scannon, M.D., Ph.D.

Pat Scannon, M.D., Ph.D.
Founder, The BentProp Project, Limited. President Emeritus, Project Recover

Mark Moline, Ph.D.

Mark Moline, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Director, School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment

Eric Terrill, Ph.D.

Eric Terrill, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Director, Coastal Observation Research & Development Center, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Board of Directors

Derek Abbey, Ph.D. - President & CEO

Derek Abbey, Ph.D.
President / CEO

at Scannon, M.D. Ph.D. - President Emeritus

Pat Scannon, M.D. Ph.D. President Emeritus

Daniel T. O'Brien - Treasurer

Daniel T. O'Brien
Treasurer / Admin

Val Thal-Slocum - Secretary

Val Thal-Slocum
Secretary

Flip Colmer Team - Innovator

Flip Colmer
In Memoriam, Team Innovator

Specialists

Lead Historian

Dr. Colin Colbourn is Project Recover’s Lead Historian and a Postdoctoral Researcher with the University of Delaware. Since 2016, he has managed historical operations including archival research, data management, case analysis, and field investigations. Through these efforts, Project Recover has developed a massive internal archive comprised of thousands of historical reports, maps, and images. Learn more about Colin and his work with MIA Families

Lead Archaeologist

Dr. Andrew Pietruszka is an underwater archaeologist specializing in the search, documentation, and recovery of U.S. service members missing in action as a result of our nation’s past conflicts. He received an M.A. in Underwater Archaeology/Maritime Studies from East Carolina University and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Syracuse University. Learn more about Drew Pietruszka and the archaeology behind the search MIAs.

Dr, Andrew Pietruszka

Dave Bavencoff

Recruitment Coordinator

Dave Bavencoff has been with Project Recover since 2017, and his experience investigating cold case homicides have been useful in those efforts. Dave has over 20 years of experience as a law enforcement officer. He has worked a range of assignments in law enforcement, including several years as a homicide detective. If you interested in becoming a volunteer start with our Mission - Vision - Values Page.

Dr, Andrew Pietruszka
Aldo Costigliolo

European Regional Director

Aldo Costigliolo is Project Recover European Regional Director. Aldo offered his expertise in ground or sea logistics for Project Recover missions in Italy and emerging missions in Europe. Aldo is a Brigadier General in the Italian Army, Retired Reserve. Aldo has had the honor of giving military honors to repatriated Italian soldiers when Italy’s Onorcaduti (Honor the Fallen) repatriated some fallen soldiers (Alpini) in the early nineties when he was a young Captain.

Advisory Council

Darcy Anderson - Advisory Council

Darcy Anderson
Vice Chairman, Hillwood Management

Matt Byrd - Advisory Council

Matt Byrd
Colonel,USAF (ret.), President and CEO, Hillwood Aviation

Matt Byrd - Advisory Council

Shane Doucet
Lieutenant Colonel, USAF (ret.)
Principal, Doucet Consulting Solutions

www.linkedin.com/in/garciajm3d

Juan Garcia III
Asst Sec of Navy 2009-2015

Matt Byrd - Advisory Council

Tom Henricks
Colonel, USAF (ret.) and former US Astronaut

Amanda Hughes - Advisory Council

Amanda Hughes
Director, The Friedkin Foundation

Tom Henricks - Advisory Council

Mary L. Landrieu
Senior Policy Advisor Van Ness Feldmanis. U.S. Senate 1997-2015

Darcy Anderson - Advisory Council

Jack McGrory
Jack McGrory is CEO of La Jolla MJ Management, LLC

Darcy Anderson - Advisory Council

Courtney Mitchell, CFRE
Chief Development Officer, Travis Manion Foundation

T.M. Moseley - Advisory Council

T.M. Moseley
General, USAF (ret.) Former Chief of Staff of the US Air Force

Eric Williamson - Advisory Council

Eric Williamson
President, Friedkin Aviation
V.P., The Friedkin Business Development Group

T.M. Moseley - Advisory Council

Mary L. Landrieu
U.S. Senator from Louisiana (1997–2015)

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To Bring our MIAs Home

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Contact us

We are a small organization. We will make sure your message gets to the right person and will do our best to get back to you within a few days. If you are interested in applying to become a team member, please go to our Mission and Values page. If you are writing about your family MIA, please make sure to meet our historian, Dr. Colin Colbourn.
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Missing in Action

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