HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Seaman 1st Class Elmer P. Lawrence, 25, of Park City, Kentucky, killed during World War II, was accounted for on February 1, 2021.
Officals say on December 7, 1941, Lawrence was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. DPAA says the USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. Officials say the attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Lawrence. DPAA says from December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
To identify Lawrence’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
Officials say Lawrence’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Lawrence will be buried on July 22, 2023, in Smiths Grove, Kentucky. DPAA says for family and funeral information, people should contact the Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs Office at (901) 874-2438.