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Remains of sailor killed at Pearl Harbor returning home

This undated photo provided by the family of Navy Fireman 3rd Class Edwin Hopkins of Keene, N.H., shows Hopkins in his uniform. Hopkins was one of the men who died when the USS Oklahoma was sunk in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in Dec. 7, 1941. His remains have recently been positively identified and will be returned to New Hampshire to be buried next to his parents in his hometown. (Courtesy of the family of Navy Fireman 3rd Class Edwin Hopkins via AP)
By Michael Casey Associated Press

CONCORD, N.H. – Nearly 75 years after he died during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the remains of Navy Fireman 3rd Class Edwin Hopkins are coming home to New Hampshire.

Hopkins was one of 429 men who died when the ship they were on, the USS Oklahoma, was hit by torpedoes Dec. 7, 1941, and sunk. Thirty-two men were rescued, but 14 Marines and 415 sailors were killed. Many of them, including Hopkins, were buried as “unknowns” in a Hawaii cemetery.

The 19-year-old from Swanzey, New Hampshire, was tentatively identified through dental records a few years later. But it took until 2015 before a DNA match with a distant cousin provided a positive ID.

Hopkins’ remains return to New Hampshire on Thursday. He will be buried next to his parents in Keene.