Missing in action

Missing in Action, better known as MIA, is a casualty classification used by the United Nations Space Command that refers to members of the UNSC who has been reported missing following a combat mission and whose status as to injury, capture, or death is unknown. Missing combatants 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 helped boost morale in 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 Ambrose.

Notable examples

 * James-005 - Sent spinning into space during the Fall of Reach. Lost contact shortly thereafter and no sign of him was detected ever again. Presumably deceased.
 * Alice-130, Jerome-092, Douglas-042 - Declared Missing in Action after the was left stranded in space following the Battle of the Etran Harborage. The Spirit of Fire eventually declared "lost with all hands" on February 10, 2534. As of 2559 are active on Installation 00.
 * Crew of the - Went Missing in Action following the Battle of the Etran Harborage when the Spirit of Fire's FTL reactor was sacrificed to destroy the Etran Harborage and its fleet of s. Declared "lost with all hands" on February 10, 2534. As of 2559, active at Installation 00.
 * Kurt-051 - Went Missing in Action during a mission in 2531. In reality abducted for the SPARTAN-III program. Died during the Onyx Conflict in 2552.
 * Randall-037 - Went missing in 2532 during the Battle of Vodin. Survived a fall from the planet's skyhooks and settled on the planet for the next ten years until the UNSC reestablished contact with Vodin. Refused to rejoin the Spartan program and had many of his augmentations reversed. Died during the Mission to Alpha Shard in 2556.
 * Sheila-065 - Declared Missing in Action in 2544. Died in the Battle of Miridem, witnessed by Doctor Catherine Halsey.
 * Kelly-087 - Declared Missing in Action by John-117 after she was abducted by Doctor Catherine Halsey. No longer considered MIA after the UNSC gained control of the Sarcophagus shield world where she had been taken.
 * John-117 - Disappeared after the Battle of Installation 00 when the split in half, leaving him trapped in deep space in the rear half of the ship. 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." Resurfaced in 2557 during the Battle of Requiem to help the  against Jul 'Mdama's Covenant. Returned to Earth following the New Phoenix Incident and was no longer declared Missing in Action.
 * Gray Team - Considered Missing in Action by Fred-104 in November 2552 after they had been out of contact for over a year on a mission far outside the reaches of UNSC space. Actually went Missing in Action in December 2552 following Operation: SUNSPEAR where they destroyed the planet Glyke and were left adrift in its ruins in cryo chambers in their lifeboat. Recovered in 2558 by Fleetmaster Rojka 'Kasaan then freed from their cryo chambers by Melody Azikiwe during the Battle of Carrow. Reestablished contact with UNSC forces aboard the following the battle and were no longer Missing in Action.

Trivia

 * During the video log in the level 343 Guilty Spark, the automated video recorder regards Wallace A. Jenkins as possibly MIA, due to the sudden 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"