Through the help of modern technology that helped identify a Navy sailor who died in the attack of Pearl Harbor, the remains of Seaman 2nd Class Denver True “D.T.” Kyser finally were laid to rest Saturday afternoon at Fresno Memorial Gardens.
Kyser was from Oklahoma. But with his remaining family all having long moved to California, a military service ended up being held in Fresno.
Kyser was 18 at the time and serving on the battleship USS Oklahoma when Japanese aircraft on attacked Ford Island, Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits and quickly capsized, resulting in the deaths of 429 crewmen, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).
The attack launched the United States into World War II.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew.
Recently, Kyser’s remains were exhumed and identified using his DNA and modern forensic techonology.
According to the Navy, Kyser’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
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