WWII Pearl Harbor Sailor Identified, To Be Buried at Arlington
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has identified the remains of U.S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Edward D. Bowden, who was killed aboard the USS California during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Bowden, 29 and a native of New Bern, North Carolina, was among sailors whose remains were disinterred in 2018; DPAA used dental, anthropological and DNA/genome analyses (plus circumstantial evidence) to make the identification, notified surviving family members, and plans a burial at Arlington National Cemetery in October 2025.
Military
History
🔍 Key Facts
- Identified individual: U.S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Edward D. Bowden (from New Bern, N.C.), killed aboard USS California on Dec. 7, 1941
- Accounting action: DPAA reports Bowden 'accounted for' as of April 1, 2025; family notified and rosette to be placed on the Walls of the Missing
- Scope: Of 20 sailors disinterred from the USS California in 2018, 11 have now been identified; nine remain to be resolved
- Methods: Identification based on dental and anthropological analysis, DNA analysis and genome sequencing, plus circumstantial evidence
- Next step: Bowden scheduled for burial at Arlington National Cemetery in October 2025