An Iowa native who served and died in the attack on Pearl Harbor has been positively identified. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced yesterday that the remains of Navy fireman 3rd class Robert J. Bennett were accounted for on August 13th.

The 18-year-old Bennett was born and raised in Monona, Iowa. Officials say that he was aboard the USS Oklahoma when Japanese aircraft attack it and other aircraft carriers in Honolulu on December 7th, 1941. His remains and those of other unidentified soldiers ended up at the National Memorial Cemetary of the Pacific. Officials began removing remains from that cemetery in 2015. They have been using modern DNA and other identification techniques to help ID casualties.

U.S. officials say that Bennett's name is listed on The Wall of the Missing at the cemetery. A rosette will now be placed next to his name to signify that he has been located and identified. 2,335 people lost their lives in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

 

[via CBS2]

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