How remains of personnel killed in Pearl Harbor are identified decades later
21 April 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A Mulvane man who served on the USS Oklahoma battleship and died at Pearl Harbor is finally being laid to rest in May.
Navy Seaman 2nd Class Floyd F. Clifford was 20 years old when Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The ship capsized, and Clifford was one of the 429 crewmembers who died.
Navy personnel spent two and a half years recovering the crew’s remains. The remains were first interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries.
In 1947, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) was given the job of identifying those who died. It transferred the remains to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. But staff members could only confirm 35 names from the USS Oklahoma. The rest were buried in plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl.
In 2015, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) exhumed the unidentified sailors for analysis using modern forensic technology. Scientists have slowly been identifying the sailors, including Clifford.
Clifford’s name is still listed on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl. However, now that he has been identified, a rosette will be placed next to his name.
Headley Funeral Chapel in Augusta is handling Clifford’s burial service. It says the sailor will receive full military graveside honors at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 2, at the Richland Cemetery in rural Douglass.