To be entitled to POW status, captured persons must be lawful combatants entitled to combatant's privilege—which provides immunity from punishment for lawful acts of war, such as killing enemy …

Dec 17, 2025 · prisoner of war (POW), any person captured or interned by a belligerent power during war. In the strictest sense it is applied only to members of regularly organized armed forces, but by …

Oct 25, 2022 · Life as a POW meant many forced marches in subfreezing weather, solitary confinement, brutal punishments and attempts at political "re-education." Here prisoners received their first …

While their imprisonment may have meant an end to combat, for prisoners of war (POWs) held during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars, incarceration marked the beginning of a new …

Aug 10, 2025 · A prisoner of war (POW) is an individual held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately following an armed conflict. This status is rooted in international law, which aims to …

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency remains relentless in its mission to provide the fullest possible accounting to their families and the nation, until they're home.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day was established by Congress to honor those armed service members held captive, who returned or who remain missing, while fighting in the nation's foreign wars.

Definition of POW noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Dec 16, 2025 · The meaning of PRISONER OF WAR is a person captured in war; especially : a member of the armed forces of a nation who is taken by the enemy during combat.

Prisoners of war (POW) are individuals captured during armed conflict who are entitled to specific rights and protections under international law, primarily defined by the Geneva Conventions.