The journey home for a 17-year-old sailor, who perished during the infamous World War II attack on Pearl Harbor, comes to a poignant close as his remains return for a rightful burial over 84 years later.
Royle Bradford Luker is set to be interred with full military honors in Plainview, Arkansas, on May 30. According to his obituary, Luker will find his final resting place beside his family, including his father, a veteran of World War I.
The obituary from Cornwell Funeral Homes recounts Luker’s bravery: “Serving as a Fireman Third Class on the U.S.S. West Virginia, he sacrificed everything and lost his life during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.”
The identification of Luker’s remains was made possible through advanced forensic and DNA testing, which matched his DNA with that of living relatives, finally confirming his identity many years later, as noted in the obituary.
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At just 17, Royle B Luker was one of the tragic casualties of the surprise Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency)
For his service and sacrifice, Luker reportedly received numerous military honors, including the Purple Heart, awarded to those wounded or killed in combat, and the Navy Presidential Unit Citation, which recognizes extraordinary heroism by military units under enemy fire.
Other honors and awards listed in his obituary include the Gold Star Veteran designation, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Expeditionary Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal.
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Sailors stand amid wreckage watching the USS Shaw explode during the Japanese attack on Naval Air Station Ford Island at Pearl Harbor. (Fox Photos/Getty Images)
Luker was among the 106 crewmen killed when the USS West Virginia was struck during Japan’s surprise assault on Pearl Harbor.
For decades, he was listed as killed in action, while his remains were unidentified and interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. His name was also memorialized on the Courts of the Missing there.
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Nearly 82 years after his death, Luker was officially accounted for on May 29, 2024, after authorities exhumed numerous caskets for modern forensic and DNA testing, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
The USS Arizona Memorial is seen in Honolulu before the 84th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 2025. (Mengshin Lin/AP)
The teen sailor was the son of George F. Luker, a WWI veteran, and Nettie Estelle David Luker, according to his obituary.
Family members, some of whom lived in Arkansas during his deployment, reportedly said Luker was remembered “with pride and love.”
According to the obituary, he is survived by two nephews, Donald Bradford Henderson and John Luker, as well as a niece, Becky Downen Lensing.
“More than 80 years later, DNA from Royle Luker and a family’s willingness to share their DNA bridged the gap between loss and knowing,” his obituary stated. “He will now be returned home and laid to rest.”
According to the U.S. Navy, the USS West Virginia was moored at Ford Island in 1941 when Japanese aircraft launched torpedoes against the battleship. The ship suffered multiple torpedo hits and eventually sank to the shallow harbor floor.
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