Killed in action
Classification of military personnel casualties
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Died of wounds
Furthermore, the term died of wounds (DOW) is used to denote personnel who reached a medical treatment facility before dying. The category died of wounds received in action (DWRIA) is also used for combat-related casualties which occur after medical evacuation.
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Missing, presumed dead
PKIA means presumed killed in action. This term is used when personnel are lost in battle, initially listed missing in action (MIA), but after not being found, are later presumed to have not survived. This is typical of naval battles or engagements in other hostile environments where recovering bodies is difficult. A vast number of soldiers killed in action went unidentified in World War I, like John Kipling, the son of British poet Rudyard Kipling, prompting the formation of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
NATO definition
NATO defines killed in action or a battle casualty as a combatant who is killed outright or who dies as a result of wounds or other injuries before reaching a medical treatment facility or help from comrades.