American Veteran Archaeological Recovery (AVAR) is a nonprofit, 503 organization that develops veterans into archaeologists. With a focus on battlefield/conflict archaeology, AVAR introduces veterans to archaeology and archaeological methods, including excavation and survey techniques, metal detecting, and geophysical methods. Working at diverse archaeological and historic sites provides AVAR personnel with unique experiences, from American Revolutionary battlefields to modern excavations for MIA from World War II and even excavating ancient sites. This presentation reviews several AVAR excavations, including two American Revolution sites (Camden, SC, and Saratoga, NY), the Battle of Medina in Texas, an ancient fortress in the Middle East, and POW/MIA recovery missions.

Kevin Sullivan, BS, BA, MA, MS works part-time for AVAR as an Archaeological Field Tech on CRM investigations and also in administrative support. He started with AVAR in 2021 as a volunteer on a DPAA mission to Sicily to recover WWII air crew. (DPAA is the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.) Prior to employment with AVAR, Sullivan spent over 30 years in the engineering field in multiple industries and served for 25 years in the Air Force/Air National Guard, retiring from the military in 2010. Sullivan holds a BA in Anthropology, a BS in Engineering Technology, an MA in Liberal Studies, and an MS in Systems Engineering.