Top Photo: Fern Sumpter Winbush, principal deputy director for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, right, meets with Mike Bell, Executive Director of the Jenny Craig Institute at The National WWII Museum, left, to discuss the partnership between the agencies before hosting their family member update, New Orleans, Louisiana, April 10, 2025. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Ashleigh Maxwell.

On Memorial Day, the nation pauses to remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. For The National WWII Museum, this day carries added weight—a reminder that remembrance is not passive. Through its partnership with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), The National WWII Museum contributes to an enduring national promise: to search for those still missing and help bring answers to their families.

Through its collaboration with DPAA, The National WWII Museum supports impactful, real-world historical research. A postdoctoral DPAA Research Partner Fellow spends each day poring over declassified wartime documents, maps, and records. The Fellow's work lays the foundation for a wide range of DPAA operations, from case development to planning field investigations.

Erica Lansberg, DPhil, DPAA Research Partner Fellow at The National WWII Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, said, “It’s been an honor to use my historical research skills and German language abilities to support the mission of the DPAA by helping analyze German records from World War II. I have also had so many life-changing opportunities in this role, including participating in the field at a DPAA partner archaeological dig in Germany and attending a Family Member Update in New Orleans. I am so grateful to be able to contribute my skills to the mission of providing the fullest possible accounting for the fallen missing.”

Since 2017, The National WWII Museum has had the honor of hosting multiple DPAA Research Partner Fellows, including Lansberg. Her research directly supports the DPAA’s Europe-Mediterranean Regional Directorate, including work on a ship lost during the Battle of the Atlantic, as well as the translation and analysis of captured German records that detail the shooting down of Allied aircraft, including those of missing American service members.

These efforts bring history into sharper focus and contribute to the profound national commitment to honoring those who never returned home.

The National WWII Museum also supports DPAA by leveraging its vast reach to educate millions of visitors about the high cost of the war and the missing in the Museum’s galleries. Additionally, tens of millions of people around the world engage with the Museum’s online content, which includes a dedicated DPAA page with information about the Agency’s mission and links to articles about the search for the missing. This wide reach allows the Museum to educate a global audience about the true cost of war and the importance of DPAA’s mission.

In July 2024, two members of the Jenny Craig Institute, including Lansberg, participated in a DPAA partner archaeological excavation in Germany, led by Ryan Gray, PhD, of the University of New Orleans, also a partner of the Museum. The excavation focused on the site of an American bomber crash, with the goal of locating the remains of missing American aircrew members.

These activities demonstrate that remembrance isn’t reserved for national cemeteries—it lives in classrooms, libraries, museums, and communities across the country.

Michael Bell, PhD, Executive Director of the Jenny Craig Institute and a former combat soldier, observed: “Honoring those who sacrificed so much for our country and the cause of freedom in World War II, we have a solemn responsibility to support and enable efforts to recover, identify, and bring home our missing servicemembers. We are proud to partner with the DPAA and advance their important mission.”

As the nation reflects on Memorial Day, The National WWII Museum reaffirms its commitment to this sacred mission. Through partnership, research, and remembrance, the Museum helps ensure that no family is forgotten and no hero is left behind.

Learn more about DPAA and its mission at www.dpaa.mil.