WASHINGTON, D.C. -- 75 years after his death in World War II, the remains of an Indiana Sailor are being returned home to his family.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Thursday that Navy Fire Controlman 1st Class Paul A. Nash will be buried July 9 in Sullivan, Ind. with full military honors.
Nash, 26, was assigned to the USS Oklahoma which was moored at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked by Japanese aircraft on December 7, 1941.
The ship was hit by several torpedoes and capsized. 429 people died including Nash.
Recovered remains of the deceased crew were disinterred in September 1947 by the American Graves Registration Service, which was tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater.
Staff was only able to confirm the identities of 35 men at that time. The unidentified remains were buried at the National Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Hawaii.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense directed the disinterment of the unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma.
To identify Nash's remains, scientists used DNA, which matched to a niece; as well as other evidence which matched Nash's records.
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting agency, more than 400,000 Americans were killed while serving in World War II.
At the end of the war, approximately 79,000 were unaccounted for. The number included those buried with honor as unknowns, officially buried at sea, lost at sea, and missing in action.
Today, more than 73,000 Americans remain unaccounted for from WWII.
