The United States and Italy signed a pact to bolster efforts to recover the remains of American soldiers who went missing in action during World War II, officials announced Tuesday. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) — the U.S. agency tasked with identifying fallen service members — and Italy's culture ministrysigned a dealto improve operations to locate and recover the remains of fallen military members who were never accounted for in Italy. The memorandum also establishes the protection of archaeological sites involved in the search efforts, Italian officials said in astatement. The Italian peninsula was the site of intense battles from 1943 to 1945, following theAllied invasion of Sicilyand the campaign toliberate Italyfrom Nazi forces. It's difficult to pinpoint how many missing U.S. soldiers werekilled in Italyduring World War II, but roughly 72,000 American servicemembers remain unaccounted for from the war around the world, according to DPAA. The remains ofnearly 1,000 Americanswho died in World War II have been identified since recovery efforts were renewed in the 1970s. Forensic experts at DPAA spend years using DNA, dental records, sinus records and chest X-rays to identify the remains of service members killed in combat. Earlier this year, a 23-year-old U.S. soldier who went missing in action during an aquatic mission in Italy during World War IIwas accounted for. The new agreement to recover remains of fallen soldiers in Italy was signed Tuesday by Luigi La Rocca, the head of Italy's Department for Heritage Protection, and Kelly McKeague, the director of DPAA. "The right to research and remember those dead during the war is now combined with the protection of the archaeological heritage for which the ministry of culture is responsible," Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said Tuesday. Giuli said the agreement was a further step in "our decade-long cooperation with the U.S. agency for prisoners of war and missing in action, as a tribute to those who sacrificed their lives to contribute to our freedom." Watch: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem asked what habeas corpus is in Senate hearing Watch: Rubio and Van Hollen get into testy exchange during Senate hearing Rubio interrupted at Senate hearing during remarks on changes at State Department
