The U.S. military is initiating a project to exhume and identify the remains of 88 sailors and Marines who perished during the attack on Pearl Harbor and were subsequently buried as unknowns. These service members, primarily from the USS Arizona, met their end in the surprise Japanese assault of December 7, 1941. This undertaking represents a continuation of efforts, dating back over a decade, to apply DNA technology to bring closure to the families of those lost.
The current phase involves recovering these unidentified remains from a Honolulu cemetery. The process is driven by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Significant progress has been made in gathering crucial data, with family members of 626 sailors and Marines already having submitted their DNA. This genetic material is vital for matching with the remains.
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"We have entered discussions with Operation 85 about partnering on future projects." - Kelly McKeague, DPAA Director
The impetus for this renewed focus appears to be partly fueled by dedicated groups and individuals. Kevin Kline, a real estate agent from Virginia, who discovered that his great-uncle, Robert Edwin Kline, a 22-year-old gunner's mate second class, was among the unknown dead on the Arizona, has been instrumental. His personal quest highlights a broader sentiment: that families were often left with uncertainty about the final resting places of their loved ones.
"He was always told that his great-uncle's remains were on the ship." - Reporting on Kevin Kline's discovery
This initiative aims to address the fate of not only those associated with the USS Arizona but also other unidentified casualties. While the focus is on the Arizona, earlier efforts, such as one in 2016, targeted 388 unidentified crew members from the USS Oklahoma, employing similar DNA identification methods.
The scale of the task for the Arizona alone is substantial. The DPAA requires reference DNA from 643 distinct families to facilitate identifications. The intention, for many families contacted, is to have identified remains returned to their final resting place aboard the USS Arizona, a symbol of the attack's devastating impact.
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"Kline said almost all of the families his group had spoken with said, if the remains of their loved ones were identified, they wanted them returned to the Arizona." - Reported sentiment from families
The Pearl Harbor National Memorial stands as a stark reminder of the day's events, situated above the sunken battleship. This new exhumation and identification project seeks to rectify the anonymity that has shrouded these heroes for decades, moving them from the realm of the unknown to recognized individuals. The ultimate goal is to provide definitive answers and honor the sacrifices made.