PHOTO: Remains of 17-Year-Old Sailor Killed at Pearl Harbor Will Be Buried with Honors in Hometown
A 17-year-old U.S. Navy sailor killed when enemy Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor during World War II will finally be laid to rest in his hometown.
Fireman 3rd Class Royle Luker will be buried Saturday in his hometown of Plainview, Arkansas, where he grew up before enlisting in June 1941, Stars and Stripes reported Thursday.
Fireman 3rd Class Royle Luker was just 17 when he died aboard the battleship USS West Virginia during the 1941 Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
His remains were among those designated "non-recoverable" and buried as unknowns in what is now the National Memorial Cemetery… pic.twitter.com/NXROyNSCGf
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) May 22, 2026
The article said forensic methods at the time did not allow officials to identify his remains, thus he was buried in a grave marked “unknown.”
Luker, who was the son of a World War I veteran, will be buried with full military honors at New Bethel Cemetery, and his remains are being returned home more than 84 years after his death, per Fox News. The outlet noted that modern forensic testing and DNA analysis confirmed his identity through living relatives.
Luker was aboard the USS West Virginia during the attack that killed 105 of its crew members on December 7, 1941. The vessel was hit by several torpedoes and sank at Ford Island, the Stripes article continued, citing a press release from the Navy. (Read more from “PHOTO: Remains of 17-Year-Old Sailor Killed at Pearl Harbor Will Be Buried with Honors in Hometown” HERE)
Photo credit: Flickr
