Temporary grave of an American machine-gunner during the Battle of Normandy.

Killed in action (or KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces by other hostile forces or by "friendly fire" during combat.^[1] The United States Department of Defense (DOD) says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to hostile attack. KIA's do not come from incidents such as accidental vehicle crashes, terrorism, or other "non-hostile" means.^[2][3] KIA can be applied both to front-line combat troops and to naval, air, and support troops. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2480x2744, 1350 KB) 1944 débarquement américain en Normandie : Le champ de bataille est jonché de petit matériel de guerre. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2480x2744, 1350 KB) 1944 débarquement américain en Normandie : Le champ de bataille est jonché de petit matériel de guerre. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Free France Poland Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Omar Bradley (U.S. 1st Army) Miles Dempsey (UK 2nd Army) Harry Crerar (Canadian 1st Army) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel (Heeresgruppe... Look up Casualty in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Friendly fire or non-hostile fire, a term originally adopted by the United States military, is fire from allied or friendly forces, as opposed to fire coming from enemy forces or enemy fire. ... The United States Department of Defense (DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military. ...

Further, KIA denotes one to have been killed in action on the battlefield whereas someone who died of wounds (or DOW) survived to reach a medical treatment facility. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) also uses DWRIA, rather than DOW, for "died of wounds received in action." However, historically, militaries and historians have used the latter acronym.

The Omaha Beach cemetery, or the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, near Colleville-sur-mer in Normandy, France.

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 714 KB) View of the w:Omaha_Beach Cemetery, aka w:World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, near Colleville-sur-mer in Normandy, France Author: Tristan Nitot File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 714 KB) View of the w:Omaha_Beach Cemetery, aka w:World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, near Colleville-sur-mer in Normandy, France Author: Tristan Nitot File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this... Combatants United States Nazi Germany Commanders Omar Bradley Norman Cota Clarence R. Huebner U.S. 1st Infantry Division U.S. 29th Infantry Division Dietrich Kraiss German 352nd Infantry Division Strength 43,250 Unknown Casualties 3,000 1,200 The build-up of Omaha Beach: reinforcements of men and equipment moving... The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War II cemetery and memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, that honors American soldiers who died in Europe during World War II. // On June 8, 1944, the U.S. First Army established the temporary St. ...

Societies honoring KIA

Many societies venerate those killed in action. They set aside days of remembrance for their militaries and combat dead, and they build memorials and cenotaphs in honor of their fallen. The families of those who die in combat, especially their next-of-kin, sometimes receive preferential treatment, such as military honors, exemption from taxes, and financial awards. National militaries also distinguish those killed in action with ceremonies and awards. A caisson bearing a coffin, with military escort. ...

See Also

• MIA – Missing In Action
• WIA – Wounded in action
• POW – Prisoner Of War
• Category:Killed in action

MIA is a three-letter acronym that is most commonly used to designate a combatant who is Missing In Action, and has not yet returned or otherwise been accounted for as either dead (KIA) or a prisoner of war (POW). ... WIA is a three letter abbreviation meaning Wounded in action. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ...

Notes

1. ^ U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary: killed in action. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
2. ^ The 'Lectric Law Library's Legal Lexicon On * Justifiable Homicide *. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
3. ^ Nolo Press Legal Definition Homicide. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.