BISMARCK — A 1st Class Navy fireman who was killed at 24 years old in the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II has been accounted for after being deemed “non-recoverable” nearly 80 years ago.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which locates and returns remains of missing service personnel, released a statement on Monday, Sept. 16, saying the remains of Edward D. Johnson, of Hurdsfield, North Dakota, were confirmed in September 2020.
Johnson was buried between 1947 and 1949 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, otherwise known as the “Punchbowl,” as one of 46 unidentified crew members.
In 2015 — over 65 years later — the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency exhumed the unidentified personnel and used updated technology that could cross-analyze DNA and identify buried crew members. Johnson, who was aboard the USS Oklahoma, was then accounted for.
“The Greatest Generation’s legacy of service and sacrifice will never be forgotten and Edward D. Johnson is no different,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said in a statement.
Hoeven helped
advance legislation in 2014 that created the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
“Edward, who perished along with 428 others on the USS Oklahoma during the attacks on Pearl Harbor, reminds us yet again of the bravery and sacrifices made during WWII,” Hoeven said. “We are grateful for the DPAA and their work in identifying Edward. We join his family, his fellow veterans and North Dakotans in honoring his sacrifice.”
Johnson will be formally buried on Oct. 25, 2024, in the Punchbowl.
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