DNA milestone may move US to disinter unidentified Pearl Harbor victims

The United States government could move to disinter the remains of unidentified USS Arizona crew members who were killed in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 after the clinching of a key DNA-related milestone, officials recently announced. Before that announcement, officials determined enough family reference samples had been collected for comparison with DNA taken from remains – along with medical and dental records – for the individual identification of at least 60% of the battleship crew members to be disinterred, said a statement on Friday from the agency tasked with identifying US military personnel who are unaccounted for after past conflicts. It was not immediately clear precisely when the disinterments might begin, the statement from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) said. According to the DPAA, they first still require approval from the Pentagon. Nonetheless, the DPAA’s statement said that reaching what it called the 60% threshold allowed it “to formally request and begin planning” the disinterments – a key breakthrough for the ongoing project to conclusively establish the identities of USS Arizona crew members who were killed at Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor but not readily recognizable. Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor killed more than 2,400 American military members, including 1,177 USS Arizona crew members. …