Remains of sailor killed in Pearl Harbor returned home

Author: CBS News
Published: Updated:
The remains of Navy Fireman First Class Hadley Heavin, who was killed in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, arrive at Tulsa International Airport on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. (KOTV)

The remains of one of the U.S. sailors killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 returned home Wednesday, landing at Tulsa International Airport, CBS affiliate KOTV reports. Navy Fireman First Class Hadley Heavin, 23, was on the USS West Virginia when torpedoes and bombs destroyed the battleship.

Sailors at the airport saluted Heavin, one of the more than 2,400 who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Navy personnel recovered the remains of at least 66  crewmen, including Hadley, from the USS West Virginia.

According to an obituary in the Joplin Globe, Hadley’s remains were identified last year after his two remaining brothers provided DNA samples to aid in a match. A memorial service is set for this weekend in his hometown of Baxter Springs, Kansas.

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