Correction: A typo in the original story has been fixed.
ARDMORE, Okla. (KFOR) – The U.S. Navy is bringing home the remains of an Oklahoma sailor who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Seaman 1st Class Billy Turner was an Ardmore, Okla., native and sailor aboard the Navy’s USS Oklahoma.
He died during the Imperial Japanese attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941.
The Navy arranged for Turner’s remains to be buried in the Oklahoma State Veterans Cemetery in Oklahoma City today, Saturday, June 4.
Turner was born Nov. 18, 1921, in Memphis, Tenn. He grew up in Ardmore, Okla., and enlisted in the Navy in Dallas, Texas, on Jan. 4, 1940.
As a Seasman 1st Class, the third-lowest enlisted rank in the Navy, Turner’s duties included knowledge of naval drill duties, knots, steering and signaling, standing watches and gunnery duties.
Turner’s service awards and decorations include the Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet Clasp), Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with Bronze Star), American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal.
His remains were identified through Project Oklahoma.
Project Oklahoma has so far identified the remains of 355 of the 388 service members who were unaccounted for after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Scientists at Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) labs in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha, Neb., work to identify the remains of sailors from past conflicts.
“Remains are identified using DNA reference samples from USS Oklahoma families,” Navy officials said. “DoD now has more than 84 of required samples to support DNA analysis on Oklahoma remains as well as many medical and dental records from the Oklahoma service members.”