On Veterans Day, Brigham Young University students in Provo continued a decade‑long effort to bring comfort to families of missing service members. Working from the university’s Center for Family History and Genealogy, student research teams receive notifications of unidentified fallen soldiers from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and set out to locate any surviving next of kin.

Student researchers combine faith, language skills and technology

The majority of the cases involve veterans of World War II or the Korean War. “We are finding people with ancestors that have been lost to these wars, and we’re helping give hope that these soldiers may be exhumed and returned at some point,” said senior Molly Petersen, a Family History major. Petersen added that while the timeline for recovery is uncertain, the work “definitely is helping them remember their family.”

Many of the archival documents the students examine are written in languages other than English. BYU’s global missionary program has equipped many of the volunteers with foreign‑language abilities, making them especially suited for deciphering foreign‑language records, marriage certificates, birth registries and other vital documents.

From paper trails to DNA confirmation

When a potential match is identified, the university contacts the family and asks them to provide a DNA sample to confirm the genetic link. Since the program began, seven cases have resulted in the return of a service member’s remains to their loved ones.

Senior Megan Smith described the personal impact of the work: “I feel pretty lucky to be able to work on this project where I’m making a difference, not just for people who have already died, but also for living people who didn’t know about their military family members.”

How the community can get involved

Families still searching for missing relatives are encouraged to register through the DPAA’s online portal. The university’s effort underscores the power of local volunteers, faith‑driven service and modern genealogy to bring closure to families who have waited decades for answers.

By linking historical records with contemporary DNA technology, BYU students are turning the quiet work of archives into a hopeful path toward reunification for America’s missing heroes and their descendants.

Original reporting: FOX 13 KSTU (Scripps) – Utah County — read the source article.