A major breakthrough in DNA collection could pave the way for the United States government to disinter and identify the remains of previously unknown crew members from the USS Arizona who were killed during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency recently announced it has gathered enough family reference DNA samples, along with available dental and medical records, to support the identification of at least 60% of the crew members whose remains could be exhumed.
Reaching that threshold allows the agency to formally request approval from the Pentagon and begin planning for possible disinterments. No timeline has been announced.
Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, killed more than 2,400 American service members. Of those, 1,177 were aboard the Arizona, which sank during the assault. The wreck remains one of the nation’s most revered war memorials.
Many sailors recovered after the attack were so badly burned or damaged that they could not be identified. They were buried as unknowns in Hawaii cemeteries.
In 1947, 170 unknown service members were exhumed, and more than 100 were later identified. Dozens deemed unrecoverable were reburied at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
The new effort seeks to identify what could be as many as 141 unknowns buried in several graves, some of which may contain commingled remains.
A key force behind the push has been Operation 85, founded in 2023 by Kevin Kline, the grandnephew of missing Arizona sailor Robert Edwin Kline, a Navy gunner’s mate second class.
The group worked to locate relatives of missing crew members and encourage DNA submissions, helping federal officials reach the latest milestone. The DPAA credited Operation 85 for its work over the past three years in connecting with Arizona families.
The campaign mirrors an earlier successful project involving the USS Oklahoma, where more than 360 previously unidentified Pearl Harbor victims were eventually named.
Federal officials are continuing to ask relatives of missing Arizona crew members to come forward and assist with the process.
Source: The Guardian