Remains Of Sailor Killed In Pearl Harbor Brought Home To SE Kansas

A southeast Kansas sailor who died in the Pearl Harbor attack will finally be buried near his hometown.

Seaman Second Class Dale Pearce, 21, of Dennis, Kansas was serving on the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked.

Pearce was listed as missing in action following the attack. His unidentified body was recovered over a year later and he was buried with the other unknown sailors in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.

The Navy says the identification of Pearce finally came by matching DNA samples submitted by family members.  

Pearce will be buried near Parsons on May 26, on what would have been his 96th birthday.

11/10/2015: Related Story: Remains Of 7 Pearl Harbor 'Unknowns' From USS Oklahoma Identified

Pearce was born on May 26, 1920, the youngest of 11 children.  He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1940 and was serving as a gunner on the USS Oklahoma when it was attacked.

His family, law enforcement and Legion riders escorted the hearse from Tulsa International Airport to Parsons, Kansas Tuesday afternoon.