World War II Veteran Who Died in Pearl Harbor Returned Home 85 Years Later For Proper Burial

It will be a hero’s homecoming for a World War II veteran killed in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.

The remains of U.S. Navy 1st Class Fireman Fred Boyer arrived Wednesday in his home state of Indiana, more than 80 years since the surprise military strike by Japan against the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, a flashpoint during World War II.

The 22-year-old Boyer became a casualty of the attack and was among 2,403 Americans killed and 1,178 others wounded, according to the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Records show he was from Kempton, Indiana, about an hour north of Indianapolis.

“It’s just amazing to me that all these young men sacrificed themselves,” Gene Hughes, public affairs liaison for the Navy’s POW / MIA office, told Military.com. “Before there was even a war, they were already casualties.”

The fact that they were willing to serve, and ultimately gave their lives for our country, never ceases to amaze me.

Remains Formally Identified After Eight Decades

Boyer’s remains were identified in July 2024 as one of 106 crewmen killed on the USS West Virginia.

He had been buried in an “unknown” grave in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii before the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) confirmed his identity.

Unidentified remains associated with the USS West Virginia were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. In 2017, 35 caskets of unidentified remains were disinterred from the cemetery as efforts continued to identify the ship’s unidentified sailors.

DPAA anthropologists and Armed Forces Medical Examiner System scientists ultimately confirmed Boyer’s identity using dental comparisons, anthropological analysis and mitochondrial DNA testing, according to the DPAA.

Boyer’s name remains engraved on the Walls of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, where a bronze rosette will now be placed beside it to signify he is no longer unaccounted for as a Pearl Harbor casualty.

In Indiana, Boyer’s nephew Leland Boyer and his wife, Cindy Boyer, received his body at the Indianapolis International Airport. They were seen touching his military coffin draped by an American flag as it was brought off a plane.

A Navy Honor Guard, as well as Indiana State Police officials, were on hand to salute and escort Boyer’s official military transfer.

“Leland is a great guy,” Hughes told Military.com. “He’s shown himself to be very interested in honoring his uncle and making sure he gets the recognition he deserves. And apparently, Fred’s story is very popular, especially in Indiana.”

Indiana Native Joined Navy in 1940

Boyer was born in Kempton on Oct. 21, 1918, and enlisted in the Navy in Indianapolis in September 1940.

He reported to the USS West Virginia about two months later and was a Fireman 1st Class by the time of the attack. As a Navy firefighter, Boyer served as an engineering watchman and helped with ship security and maintenance. He also assisted with fuel and supply transfers.

The DPAA said Boyer was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal for his service and sacrifice.

“It’s absolutely wonderful to be able to bring closure to these families,” Hughes said. “Many of these sailors were lost, and their parents passed away without ever knowing their final disposition. That was the case for Fred’s parents.

“So, to be able to provide that kind of closure for these families, it’s incredibly satisfying. This is the best job I’ve ever had.”

Boyer will be buried in a graveside service next to his parents at Kempton Cemetery on Sept. 30, 2026, with full military honors. Local organizers have encouraged the public to line a procession route through Kempton to honor Boyer.