PLAINVIEW, Ark. — Nearly 85 years after an Arkansas man was killed during his military service at Pearl Harbor, he was laid to rest in his hometown on Saturday.
“Lots of men and women, they do give that ultimate sacrifice,” Navy Fireman Kaleb Archibald said.
For some, those sacrifices happened longer ago than others.
One burial in Plainview, Arkansas, on Saturday epitomized that idea.
“This is honoring a Fireman 3rd class who made the ultimate sacrifice 85 years ago in World War II,” Rear Admiral Michael Van Poots said.
That boy, Royle Luker, was from Plainview.
It had long been assumed that he died at Pearl Harbor at the age of 17, but his remains were never positively identified.
“I think my grandmother and his mom totally gave up on it,” Tamela Henderson said.
Luker was Henderson’s great-uncle.
While she and other family members thought this day might never come, others didn’t give up.
“The POW MIA Accountability Agency will never stop looking,” Van Poots said, “And even though it's been 85 years, we'll continue to identify and bring every last sailor and soldier home.”
With Luker, they did just that, using advancements in DNA technology to identify him earlier this year.
So finally, 85 years later, Luker was laid to rest by his parents at New Bethel Cemetery near Plainview.
A large crowd attended the military burial, and cars and American flags lined the streets on the way to the event.
“I wish my grandmother and my great grandmother were here because it would have been very special,” Henderson, who came from California for the day, said, “But better late than never. It means the world, and I appreciate all the people that have put so much energy and time into doing this.”
Efforts were made to honor Luker throughout the state on Saturday.
Governor Sarah Sanders asked that all flags be flown at half-mast throughout the day in his honor.