Missing in action

Missing In Action, better known as MIA, is a casualty classification used by the United Nations Space Command that refers to a member of the UNSC who has been reported missing following a combat mission and whose status as to injury, capture, or death is unknown. The missing combatant must not have been otherwise accounted for as either killed in action or a prisoner of war.

When SPARTAN-IIs are killed, they are reported as Missing in Action or wounded in action to create the illusion that Spartans never die. This apparently helped boost morale for the UNSC. SPARTAN-IIIs are not normally subject to this, as the very existence of the program remains classified. However, at least two were listed as such in accordance with the tradition by Kurt-051.

Trivia

 * Randall, James, all the Spartans aboard the Spirit of Fire (Alice-130, Jerome-092, Douglas-042), Fred-104, Kelly-087, Linda-058, Tom-B292, Lucy-B091, Ash-G099, Olivia, Mark, Team Katana, John-117, Gray Team, Black Team and Jun-A266 are the only Spartans who truly became missing.
 * John-117 was considered Missing in Action due to the fact that there was no evidence that he died, despite Terrence Hood's quote, "Hard to believe he's dead."
 * During the video log in the level 343 Guilty Spark, the automated video recorder regards Wallace A. Jenkins as possibly MIA, due to the termination of his recording as a result of his infection by the Flood.)

Related pages

 * Killed in action (KIA)
 * Wounded in action (WIA)

External

 * Wikipedia's article on "Missing in action"