History Flight

What History Flight does

History Flight, Inc. is a privately operated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2003 by Mark Noah and headquartered in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Its sole functional mission is the research, field excavation, and repatriation of American service members listed as Missing in Action (MIA) from World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. The organization serves the U.S. government (primarily the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, or DPAA, as a strategic partner) and military families seeking closure for loved ones lost overseas. History Flight reports having recovered 130+ MIAs and turned over an additional 250+ sets of remains to DPAA since inception, claiming a 93% organizational success rate.

History Flight's core capability is a trans-disciplinary field methodology combining forensic anthropology, geophysics, historical archival research, archaeology, forensic odontology, unexploded ordnance management, and cadaver-dog handling. The team uses ground penetrating radar to locate burial sites and former battlefield cemeteries, supported by a cloud-based archival repository maintained in part by volunteers. Operations are conducted in multiple theaters via permanent field offices in the Philippines (Angeles City), France (Carentan les Marais), Belgium (Pepinster), and the Republic of Kiribati (Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll), with documented deployment to 15+ countries. Notable recoveries include 35 Tarawa MIAs from 'Cemetery 27' in 2015 (including Medal of Honor recipient 1st Lt. Alexander Bonnyman Jr.) and a 24-set turnover to DPAA in 2017 — the second-largest single recovery of U.S. battlefield remains since the Korean War.

The organization's business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating. As a 501(c)(3), it does not charge for MIA recovery services; it is funded by tax-deductible individual contributions accepted online (PayPal), by mail, and by phone, supplemented by sales of branded merchandise (bottle openers, koozies, stickers, magnets, coasters, coins) through its online shop. Go-to-market is mission-driven and community-led: awareness is generated through organic social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), earned media coverage and documentaries, appearances on programs such as Operation CEO, and partnerships with veteran-aligned organizations including MissingMarines.com, Team Long Road, and the American Legion Auxiliary. The addressable mission is finite — approximately 81,900 American service members remain missing worldwide — and the organization's scale is small (11–50 employees) with a five-office international footprint.

Name

History Flight

Legal name

History Flight, Inc.

Website

https://historyflight.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

History Flight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2003 that recovers and repatriates American MIA service members from WWII, Korean War, Cold War, and Vietnam War conflicts. It partners with DPAA and serves military families using a trans-disciplinary forensic and archaeological field methodology across Pacific and European theaters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Military MIA Recovery and Repatriation Services

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

Keywords

• MIA recovery services
• Forensic archaeology
• Missing service members
• Battlefield remains recovery
• Military repatriation

Headquarters

HQ city

Fredericksburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals supporting the MIA recovery mission. Donations accepted online via PayPal, by mail, and by phone.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including bottle openers, koozies, stickers, magnets, coasters, and coins through the History Flight shop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

History Flight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that researches, locates, excavates, and recovers the remains of American service members listed as Missing in Action from WWII, Korean War, Cold War, and Vietnam War conflicts. Recovered remains are turned over to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) for identification and family repatriation. The organization operates field deployments across Pacific and European theaters using a trans-disciplinary team of forensic anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, and geophysicists.

Product overview

History Flight is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates as a single, unified service focused on the research, recovery, and repatriation of America's Missing in Action (MIA) service members. The organization does not offer a software product or platform but rather provides field-based MIA search and recovery services, supported by volunteer programs, merchandise sales, and public donations. Their operational structure includes dedicated field research operations across multiple international theaters (Pacific, Europe), supported by professional staff in forensic anthropology, archaeology, and historical research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MIA Search and Recovery Services History Flight's core service: research, locate, excavate, and recover the remains of American service members listed as Missing in Action from WWII, Korean War, Cold War, and Vietnam War conflicts. Recovered remains are turned over to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) for identification and family repatriation.
• Field Research Operations International field deployments to search and recover MIAs across multiple theaters including the Pacific (Tarawa, Philippines), Europe (France, Belgium), and other regions. Maintains dedicated field offices in Tarawa (Kiribati), Philippines, France, and Belgium.
• Branded Merchandise Store Online shop selling branded merchandise including bottle openers, koozies, stickers, magnets, coasters, and coins to support the organization's MIA recovery mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 165+ MIAs recovered and identified; 395+ recovered and awaiting identification; 93% organizational success rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MissingMarines.comcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization with logo displayed on History Flight's partners page, indicating mutual collaboration in supporting MIA recovery and awareness missions.
• Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense agency responsible for recovering missing service members. History Flight conducts field excavations and turns recovered remains over to DPAA for identification. DPAA Director stated 'History Flight's recovery efforts of Marines lost during the Battle of Tarawa continue to be a model of success' and praised the 'strategic partnership' as exemplar of successful two-year collaboration.
• Republic of KiribaticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost nation for Tarawa atoll operations. DPAA expressed gratitude to the Republic of Kiribati for their partnership in enabling recovery missions on Betio Island.
• U.S. Marine Corps Forces PacificminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner present at repatriation ceremonies and supporting MIA recovery operations on Tarawa.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• National Museum of the United States Army: Arlington-based museum preserving Army history across multiple conflicts including WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Comparable to History Flight in targeting the same military heritage and remembrance audience and operating in similar U.S. nonprofit/museum space.
• National Museum of the Marine Corps: Quantico-based museum preserving Marine Corps history with a strong focus on World War II Pacific battles, including Tarawa. Shares History Flight's donor base (Marine Corps community, families of WWII Marines) and is a complementary heritage institution in the same memory ecosystem.
• National WWII Museum: Major New Orleans-based museum that preserves and interprets WWII history, including battlefield archaeology and oral history programs. Comparable to History Flight in its mission to preserve WWII memory and operate family-facing educational programs, though it does not conduct active MIA recovery.

Others

• Wreaths Across America: National nonprofit coordinating annual wreath-laying at U.S. military cemeteries. Comparable to History Flight as a mission-driven, donation-funded nonprofit serving the fallen-service-member remembrance community, with overlapping volunteer and donor pools.
• DPAA Forensic Science Academy: Training arm of DPAA that develops forensic anthropology and archaeology capabilities for MIA recovery. Overlaps with History Flight's multi-disciplinary methodology (forensic anthropology, archaeology, geophysics) and its talent pool.
• Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association: Vietnam veteran advocacy organization with active interest in the MIA/POW accounting mission. Comparable to History Flight as a stakeholder and potential fundraising partner in the military remembrance community.
• National League of POW/MIA Families: Advocacy organization dedicated to the Accounting for POW/MIA issue from the Vietnam War. While not a field recovery operator, it shares History Flight's stakeholder base (military families), mission (bring closure to families of missing service members), and partnership profile with DPAA.

Broad incumbents

• American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC): Federal agency that commemorates U.S. armed forces overseas through managing cemeteries, memorials, and monuments. Comparable to History Flight in mission orientation (honoring fallen U.S. service members abroad) and in operating across European and Pacific theaters, though ABMC focuses on commemoration rather than active recovery.
• Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA): U.S. Department of Defense agency with the statutory mission to recover and identify missing service members from past conflicts. DPAA is also History Flight's primary partner and the entity that receives all recovered remains for identification, making it the closest large-scale incumbent doing the same core mission.

Direct peers

• MissingMarines.com: Partner organization listed on History Flight's website focused on missing Marine personnel from past conflicts. Closest direct peer in mission and stakeholder base, both serving the MIA-Marine community that History Flight helps repatriate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/History_Flight
• Facebookfacebook.com/history.flight.inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/historyflight
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/history-flight

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about History Flight