Remains of WWII Sailor Identified and Scheduled for Burial After 82 Years

The remains of 17-year-old sailor Royle Bradford Luker, who was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, will be returned home for burial after 84 years. He will be laid to rest with full military honors in Plainview, Arkansas, on May 30, alongside his parents. Luker served as a Fireman Third Class in the United States Navy aboard the USS West Virginia, which was attacked during the Japanese assault. His identity was confirmed through modern forensic testing and DNA analysis that matched his remains with living relatives. Luker received several military honors, including the Purple Heart and the Navy Presidential Unit Citation. He was among 106 crewmen killed when the USS West Virginia was struck. His remains were previously interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Luker was officially accounted for on May 29, 2024, following the exhumation of caskets for DNA testing.