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Killed in action
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Further, KIA denotes one to have been killed in action on the battlefield whereas someone who died of wounds (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.
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.
- ^ U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary: killed in action. Retrieved on February 4, 2007.
- ^ The 'Lectric Law Library's Legal Lexicon On * Justifiable Homicide *. Retrieved on February 4, 2007.
- ^ Nolo Press Legal Definition Homicide. Retrieved on February 4, 2007.