Arkansas Hero Killed at Pearl Harbor Laid to Rest This Weekend

DNA technology is more amazing than just about anything in recent years. From finding your family history, as I have done, to creating new treatments for diseases, actionable clues for solving crimes, and in this case, identifying the remains of a young Arkansas man who died over 80 years ago at Pearl Harbor. Now the remains of this US Navy sailor have finally returned home to Arkansas more than eight decades after his death.

Arkansas Sailor Lost at Pearl Harbor Returns Home

On Thursday, May 28, Fireman 3rd Class Royle Bradford Luker arrived at Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, where he was welcomed home with a solemn hero’s escort. Luker was just 17 years old when he was killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

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Luker served aboard the USS West Virginia and was among the 106 crew members who died during the attack. For many years, he was listed as KIA or killed in action, but his remains were considered non-recoverable.

Identified Through Advances in DNA Technology

Thanks to recent advancements in DNA technology, along with investigative work by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Luker’s identification was made and returned to his family and home state of Arkansas.

In the years following the attack described by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as “a date which will live in infamy,” Luker received multiple honors recognizing his service and sacrifice, including the Purple Heart.

Arkansas State Police, the Little Rock Police Department, and several other law enforcement agencies escorted Luker Thursday from Little Rock to Dardanelle during the final leg of his journey home.