Sailor laid to rest 75 years after his death at Pearl Harbor

Navy sailors aboard the USS Halsey stand at parade rest as the ship passes by Kilo Pier at Pearl Harbor, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, in Honolulu. Survivors of the Japanese attack, dignitaries and ordinary citizens attended a ceremony at Kilo Pier to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the naval harbor. AP

WESSON, Miss. — The remains of a 23-year-old Mississippi sailor killed at Pearl Harbor have been laid to rest in his home state, 75 years after he died.

Fireman 1st Class Jim H. Johnston was buried Wednesday with full military honors in Wesson, his hometown. He was one of 429 crewmen killed on the USS Oklahoma when it was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941.

The Riverwood Family Funeral Service was contacted by the Navy to make the arrangements and owners offered their services free of charge.

Funeral home owner Clay McMorris said Johnston was buried next to his parents.

In October 1949, a military board ruled that many of the remains, including Johnson’s, were nonrecoverable.

Scientists using mitochondrial DNA analysis, circumstantial evidence, laboratory analysis and dental comparisons matched Johnston’s records. TVJ