Guys, guys! I did a thing today!
First, the background. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, several ships took casualties. USS OKLAHOMA capsized and sank at the pier, killing over 400 crew. Most of the crew was not able to be retrieved in a decent time period, and by the time they got to the bodies, identification was impossible. The Sailors and Marines went into a series of common graves in Pearl Harbor.
In the early 2000s, Congress directed the DOD to start attempting to find identification for those individuals. Using DNA, beginning in 2013, these Sailors and Marines started coming home to their families.
Our Sailor today was Milton Reece Surratt. He died shortly after his 21st birthday, and he was finally laid to rest today in Mauldin, SC. The Navy provided a full honors detail, including 6 pallbearers, a bugler, and a rifle honors squad. My NOSC took responsibility for everything but the rifle team, which came from another unit. We also had an Admiral in attendance as the senior officer.
There are some other articles out there with some more history, but I wanted to share the most recent article that has pictures from the news. Like we say, pictures or it didn't happen. I will share some personal pictures when I get them from my Sailor who was taking them.
Milton Reece Surratt, sailor killed in Pearl Harbor attack, buried
Kidding, of course. Well done to you and your Sailors.
Awesome
