Review of Cole, Paul M. POW/MIA Accounting: Vol. 2: J*P*A*C and the Politics of Human Skeletal Identification. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN-13: 978e9811364655; ISBN-10: 9811364656. XXXI pages; 1002 pages

Authors

William Belcher, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

9-6-2019

Citation

Review of Cole, Paul M. POW/MIA Accounting: Vol. 2: J*P*A*C and the Politics of Human Skeletal Identification. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN-13: 978e9811364655; ISBN-10: 9811364656. XXXI pages; 1002 pages. Forensic Science International: Synergy 1:211-213.

Comments

Published by Elsevier. Used by permission.

Abstract

Dr. Paul M. Cole is an angry scholar. While he attempted to hold in his anger and frustration, he wasn't always successful. This book, unlike Vol. 1 (detailing Dr. Cole's involvement with the Cold War POW/MIA issues and his involvement in archival and policy decisions), is a more personal account of Dr. Cole's participation in the former Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). JPAC was a military command within the Department of Defense that was the sole authority for the identification of missing US service members from past conflicts, particularly World War II, the Korean War, Southeast Asian Conflict, and the first Gulf War (Cole, Chapters 1 and 5; [1]. Why is Dr. Cole angry? He is angry because he documents a denigration of science as well as personal attacks within and outside the command for doing what he was paid to do.