Identification of Pearl Harbor Sailor After 83 Years

Military scientists have recently identified the remains of a sailor from Pearl Harbor who was killed during the infamous attack by Japanese forces on a battleship in Hawaii 83 years ago.

The sailor, Edward D. Borden, from Newbern, North Carolina, was officially identified on April 1, 2025. He lost his life on December 7, 1941, aboard the USS California when Japanese aircraft targeted Pearl Harbor, marking a significant moment that drew the United States into World War II.

The battleship suffered multiple torpedo and bomb strikes, leading to devastating fires and flooding. Approximately 102 crew members were killed in the attack.

As mentioned in a press release, Navy officials determined the burial sites of many who died between December 1941 and April 1942, placing them in two Hawaiian cemeteries. In 1947, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) relocated the remains to a laboratory at Schofield Barracks in Oahu. During that period, 39 sailors from the USS California were identified, but others remained unnamed.

The AGRS also buried an unidentified artifact at the Pacific National Memorial Cemetery in Honolulu, sometimes referred to as the punch bowl. According to military officials, a committee ruled in 1949 that Borden was unrecoverable.

In 2018, officials from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) excavated remains of 25 unknown sailors from the USS California at the cemetery. The identification of Borden was confirmed through mitochondrial DNA testing and genomic sequencing.

Borden’s name can be found on the missing wall at Punchbowl Cemetery, where officials placed a rosette next to his name to signify his recovery.

The Navy plans to lay Borden to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on October 8, 2025.