USS Arizona Sailors to Be Identified via DNA

0:00From the Daily News Now Network, this is Durham News Today. The U.S. military is set to exume the remains of 88 sailors and Marines killed on the USS Arizona during the Pearl Harbor attack. These service members were buried as unknowns in a Honolulu cemetery. The effort uses modern DNA technology to identify them, with work starting in November or December. This comes 85 years after the December 7, 1941, bombing that sank dozens of ships in Drew America into World War II. The Arizona went down in just 9 minutes, claiming 1,177 lives, nearly half the total deaths that day. Most remains stay entombed in the sunken ship. Earlier projects identified hundreds from other vessels, like the USS Oklahoma, using the same methods. Families have now provided DNA from over 60% of the missing crew, up from just 1% a few years back. What's his like Kevin Klein, whose great-uncle died aboard the Arizona, welcomed the chance for closure.

1:01He notes how some families carry generational grief, like avoiding holidays tied to the attacks anniversary. Agency leaders once resisted due to limited samples, but attitude shifted with more data. Remains head to labs at Joint Base Pearl Harbor, Hickam and Dover Air Force Base for analysis. This episode is supported by our sponsor, C Details in the Description. Podcasts hit different when the sound comes from your pillow. Once you try it, it just makes sense, S-O-L-I-S-O-L-E-P-L-O-D-C-O-M.