Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Annaliss Candelaria | Retired U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Dale Maratas, a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency...... read more read more
Subscribe
SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM – Retired U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Dale Maratas, 65, stand 5 feet tall at his makeshift investigative station crafted from bamboo, as he continues a mission he's been on for decades - bringing home missing personnel who never made it back from past conflicts.
As a life support investigator for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Maratas works tirelessly, driven by a sense of purpose even as the physical demands grow harder with age.
DPAA’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting of missing personnel from past conflicts to their families and the nation. As an LSI, Maratas works alongside a forensic anthropologist or forensic archaeologist, also known as a scientific recovery expert, to examine all objects found during recovery missions. Each mission presents an opportunity to bring answers to families and recover a piece of history that was lost.
Maratas, a native of Los Angeles, California, knew he wanted to enlist in the military right after high school.
"When I was younger, I wanted to join," said Maratas. "That want never left me. Probably why I did the 26 years, retired, and then here I am again in another government position as an LSI, still wanting to make a difference. DPAA can easily rope a former service member back into service to their country as the importance of the missions speak for themselves."
Maratas’ journey with DPAA began before the agency transitioned to its current form in 2015. He recalls that it was around his third or fourth mission when he realized he wanted to continue working with the agency for as long as he could. For nearly 30 years, he has been working to bring missing personnel home to their families.
“It feels like it was just yesterday that I had my first day and first mission with the agency,” said Maratas. “Time flies so quickly. You really don’t feel it. More than 20-plus years gone just like that. Back then, the agency was called Joint Task Force – Full Accounting and then Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command. Since those days, the agency has made great strides in progress, from advancements in technology to new procedures that help speed up mission processes.
“One such innovation was the way LSIs conduct research. Much progress has been made for families searching for answers,” Maratas continued. “That motivates me to keep going, as I truly do believe that with each mission, and each second DPAA spends in research, analysis, and investigation, it’s a second spent doing the right thing for our nation and families every day.”
DPAA missions are not easy, taking Maratas to some of the most difficult and remote terrains, with special circumstances surrounding each incident of loss that often make him reflect on the true weight of his work. For him, every mission is personal – the families of the missing are always in his mind. One mission, in particular, stands out.
“One of the most memorable cases I ever worked on was in Ca Mau, Vietnam,” said Maratas. “It was interesting because the team traveled via speed boats, and it was my last mission as an active-duty service member. I thought it was my very last mission being able to bring a person back home. My last chance to provide another family member with answers. Who knew that it wouldn’t end up being my last?”
His most recent mission, which began in October 2024 and ended in December, took him to a semi-mountainous site with challenging slopes. Despite the physical toll, Maratas refused to let it stop him.
“I celebrated my birthday while out on this mission, and what better way to celebrate than to be out on another mission?” Maratas said. “It’s been challenging for me, going up and down these mountains, but I have to show these young and new service members how it’s done, all in good fun. Every mission presents its own challenges, and it’s a great honor for me to be able to accomplish these missions for as long as I have. Every mission keeps me young, and I also feel accomplished whenever I can pass on my knowledge and experience to the team and help out everyone in any way I can.”
As an LSI, Maratas’ role is meticulous, involving the identification of uniforms, personal effects like watches and rings, and crucial life support equipment like parachutes or oxygen masks. Every piece found can be a key to bringing a missing service member home. The challenges are immense, but Maratas finds a deep sense of fulfillment in his work, knowing that each item recovered brings him one step closer to answering a family’s prayer.
“I feel our job is second only to the SRE in importance on these missions,” said Maratas. “Yes, all the individual specializations are important - like the medic, the explosive ordnance disposal technicians, let’s not forget our photographers - but we are the experts on military equipment, especially dating back to past conflicts like the Vietnam War. The uniforms and other equipment were completely different back then. Some of the models used are also no longer part of the Defense Department’s inventory. An SRE is trained in excavation and scientific analysis, but what about specifically military equipment? What about older military plane models and reference numbers? That’s where we come in and provide clarification and further guidance.”
LSIs are often selected from the U.S. Air Force due to their specialized knowledge of military aircraft and life support equipment used by aircrews. Maratas has mainly worked on aircraft crash cases, as these incidents tend to provide additional life support items and connecting material evidence that may lead to crucial clues. Maratas’ extensive experience, both in the U.S. Air Force and at DPAA, makes him an invaluable asset.
“A life support investigator has to be experienced,” said Maratas. “A day in the life of an LSI can involve looking through more than a dozen buckets of often very small objects per mission, searching for that one item that could make or break a case. I feel my age is nothing but a benefit in this regard. I can quickly go through and make decisions in an efficient time frame. I’ve had years of looking at life support equipment while in the military and then my 20-plus years in the agency. We do have references and other specialists that we can reach out to about any piece of equipment, but really, it is the personal experience that can be vital.”
Even after all these years with the agency, Maratas still feels the call of duty.
“I still feel ready every day to dig another unit, to screen another bucket of dirt in search of our fallen,” he said. “I knew right from the start how special this was and how lucky I was to get to bring POW/MIAs home from as many past conflicts as I can. I still have a million years of missions ahead of me, and every mission is another chance to get answers. I’ll keep going, as long as I can, because I know that for every person we bring back, there’s a family waiting, a story that deserves to be told. I’m here until that very last mission, when the very last person is brought home.”
| Date Taken: | 11.29.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.10.2025 14:16 |
| Story ID: | 487605 |
| Location: | VN |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Until the Last One Comes Home: The Dedication of Dale Maratas, by PO1 Annaliss Candelaria, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
