80 years after Pearl Harbor, veteran’s remains identified

BOISE, Idaho – About 80 years after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a veteran who died during the attacks has had his remains identified.

The remains of William Eugene Blanchard, who was killed at Pearl Harbor while serving on the U.S.S. Oklahoma, were identified through DNA testing conducted by an agency within the U.S. Department of Defence, the Idaho Statesman reported Wednesday.

Blanchard was 24 when he was aboard the warship, which was struck by multiple torpedoes and capsized.

Since the 1950s, almost 400 sailors and Marines from the ship were buried without identification at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

In 2015, officials at the Department of Defence approved DNA testing for those buried. Until then, only six of the buried soldiers had been identified, according to the Department of Defence.

William Eugene Blanchard’s grandson, Chris Blanchard, said the soldier’s son and another family member provided DNA samples. The Department of Defence was able to identify William Eugene Blanchard’s legs, part of his pelvic bone and most of his skull.