Hundreds Of Pearl Harbor Dead To Be Exhumed

The remains of 388 Americans killed during the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor during World War Two are to be exhumed for DNA testing.

Most of the crew on board the torpedoed USS Oklahoma could not be identified after Japan's surprise attack - a pivotal moment which convinced the US to enter the war.

Their remains were interred at Hawaii's National Memorial Cemetery but now the Pentagon plans to transfer them to a Defense Department lab on the island to hopefully bring closure to some families.

An aerial view of Battleship Row taken from an attacking Japanese plane

Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said the government remained "committed to fulfilling its sacred obligation to achieve the fullest possible accounting for US personnel lost in past conflicts".

"Recent advances in forensic science and technology, as well as family member assistance in providing genealogical information, have now made it possible to make individual identifications for many service members long-buried in graves marked 'unknown,'" said Mr Work.

The attack on the USS Oklahoma killed 429 people

"While not all families will receive an individual identification, we will strive to provide resolution to as many families as possible."

For the exhumation to happen, Government rules state there must be a chance of identifying at least 60% of the troops. Family members of the dead crew are set to provide samples to help the process.

Salvage crews on the deck of the wrecked ship

Some 429 sailors and Marines on the USS Oklahoma died in the attack on 7 December 1941.

In all, Japan's two-hour airborne onslaught destroyed eight battleships and 164 planes - more than a 100 other vessels were also sunk or damaged.

But it was the deaths of more than 2,400 serviceman and civilians on home soil that truly shocked the US and led President Roosevelt to famously declare it "a day that will live in infamy".

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