Teen sailor from Pearl Harbor identified after 82 years

The remains of Royle Bradford Luker, a 17-year-old sailor killed during the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, have been identified through DNA analysis after 82 years. Luker, a Fireman Third Class aboard the USS West Virginia, will be buried with full military honors in Plainview, Arkansas, on May 30, according to his obituary. His remains were previously interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific and listed on the Courts of the Missing. Modern forensic testing and DNA comparisons with living relatives confirmed his identity, allowing for his reburial alongside his parents, including his World War I veteran father. Luker was among 106 crewmen killed when the USS West Virginia was struck during the Japanese attack. He received numerous military honors, including the Purple Heart, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, Gold Star Veteran designation, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Expeditionary Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, American Campaign Medal, and World War II Victory Medal. The identification process was conducted by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which works to recover and identify missing service members from past conflicts.