NEW YORK — The remains of an American sailor from New York City who was killed in the Pearl Harbor attack nearly 77 years ago have been identified.
The Pentagon announced Wednesday that Seaman 1st Class Walter C. Foley’s remains were accounted for earlier this year.
The Pentagon says the 18-year-old from Brooklyn was serving aboard the battleship Oklahoma when Japanese planes attacked Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. The ship capsized after being hit by torpedoes, killing 429 crewmen, including Foley.
The Navy spent the next three years recovering the remains of the deceased crew. Only 35 were later identified. The rest were reinterred in a national cemetery in Honolulu.
In 2015, the Pentagon began disinterring Oklahoma unknowns for identification.
The Pentagon says Foley’s remains were identified using DNA samples provided by his family.
