Identification of Pearl Harbor Sailor After 83 Years

Military researchers have successfully identified the remains of a sailor who lost his life during the Pearl Harbor attack 83 years ago. Edward D. Borden from Newbern, North Carolina was confirmed as a casualty on April 1, 2025.

Borden perished on December 7, 1941, when the USS California was struck by a Japanese aircraft, marking a pivotal moment that led the United States into World War II. The attack resulted in numerous torpedoes and bombs hitting the battleship, leading to fires and flooding, ultimately claiming the lives of about 102 crew members.

According to a press release, the Navy conducted burials between December 1941 and April 1942 at two different cemeteries in Hawaii. In 1947, staff from the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) relocated the remains to the Schofield Barracks laboratory in Oahu. At that time, they were able to identify 39 crew members from the USS California, while others remained unidentified.

The AGRS had, at one point, buried an unidentified artifact in the Punchbowl, a notable cemetery in Honolulu. This site has historical significance as a military memorial. Officials stated that a military committee determined in 1949 that some remains, including Borden’s, were unrecoverable.

In 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) exhumed the remains of 25 unidentified sailors from the USS California at the Punchbowl Cemetery, and recent advancements in technology, like mitochondrial DNA analysis and genomic sequencing, led to Borden’s identification.

Borden’s name was etched on the missing wall of the Punchbowl Cemetery, and a special rosette has been placed next to it to signify that he has now been accounted for.

The Navy plans to inter Edward D. Borden at Arlington National Cemetery on October 8, 2025.