Navy concerned about exhumation plans in Hawaii (Pearl Harbor Attack KIA's)

[Cooley Hurd]

The story is 4 days old, but hadn't seen it posted yet.

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/08/navy-concerned-about-exhumation-plans-hawaii

The Associated Press
© August 12, 2013
HONOLULU

A Hawaii-based military command responsible for finding, recovering and identifying missing-in-action service members is at odds with the U.S. Navy over exhuming unidentified sailors from the USS Oklahoma.

The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command wants to exhume all of the unidentified Dec. 7, 1941 casualties of the USS Oklahoma buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, but the Navy prefers to maintain the "sanctity" of the graves, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday.

It will be up to the Army, which has "next-of-kin" authority over all Punchbowl unknowns.

JPAC Central Identification Laboratory Director John Byrd said the command proposes disinterring comingled remains of more than 330 unidentified Oklahoma crew members buried in more than 50 graves.

"The Navy leadership, secretary of the Navy's office, from what we understand, is against it," Byrd said. The Army is getting the Navy's input as a courtesy, he said.
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[MADem]

1. I am retired USN, but I agree with JPAC. It should be done, it can be done respectfully, and it

will provide closure for at least some people who are left wondering. SECNAV should rethink and get with the program.

We didn't have the DNA identification available back then. A lot of people "know" that their loved one died in that attack, but many people take comfort from knowing about a final resting place.

For people who need, want or appreciate that kind of certainty, it's a good thing to do. It kind of goes with our standard, too, when it comes to military remains.

[Cooley Hurd]

2. I agree. All of the victim's mothers and fathers are gone, and few siblings remain...

...but the children are likely still alive and should have closure.

[enlightenment]

3. This is what JPAC does.

There is considerably more information about this in this memo ( http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/support/casualty/Documents/POW%20MIA/USS%20OKLAHOMA%20%28BB-37%29.pdf ), if anyone is interested.

[Sheldon Cooper]

4. Very informative.

Thanks for posting.

[enlightenment]

5. It does put a slightly

different spin - or at least a more informed one - on the situation. I found the debate over how mass graves should be authorized very interesting and quite admire Dr. Trotter's (corrected in edit) insistence on accuracy. She was ahead of her time.

[Historic NY]

6. I had an acquaintance that ran some JPAC search in Vietnam...

sorting out these remains by the pieces, thats lots of work

[Bigmack]

7. OK... sorry to be this way...

But.

What difference does it make. They are dead. Have been dead for 70-odd years.

I find it strange that a collection of bones & pieces of bone would eat up so much time, money, and energy.

They're dead... let them stay buried.

I think this is part of this culture's glorification of war, and the deification of our war dead.