The remains of a U.S. Navy seaman killed in the attack at Pearl Harbor was buried near his boyhood home on Saturday after nearly 77 years.
The Defense Department’s POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Navy Seaman 1st Class Edward Slapikas was buried with full military honors in Wanamie, about 120 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
Slapikas, then 26, was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored in Pearl Harbor when it was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941.
U.S. Navy service members fold a flag over the casket of U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class Edward Slapikas on Saturday, June 9, 2018
Leona Hotko of Kingston, Pa., the niece and one of only two living relatives of U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class Edward Slapikas
U.S. Navy service members carry the casket of U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class Edward Slapikas, a Newport Twp., Pa. native killed while serving aboard the USS Oklahoma
The battleship capsized and 429 crewmen, including Slapikas, died.
People throughout the area came to honor Slapikas at St. Mary’s Cemetery Saturday morning, greeting the war hero on his long-awaited return back home, according to Citizen Voice.com.
‘The support was absolutely fantastic,’ said Slapikas’ now 80-year-old nephew, Frank, who was three when his uncle died.
‘The memorial service blew me away. I could not get over the people standing on the roadways, waving the American flag, the men and women saluting,’ Frank added.
Frank Slapikas traveled from Alabama with his wife to attend the service and were joined by their only other living relative, 89-year-old Leona Hotko of Kingston.
Pictured is Edward Slapikas during his time as a naval serviceman. Slapikas was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor which marked the beginning of America’s involvement in WWII
Floating fortress: In this April 1938 photo is the USS Oklahoma. The military says it has identified 100 sailors and Marines killed when the ship capsized during the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor
Smoke pouring from sinking battleship USS California which was attacked during surprise Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor; capsized bulk of USS Oklahoma visible (C, extreme right)
In this May 24, 1943 file photo, the capsized battleship USS Oklahoma is lifted out of the water at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii
Men of a salvage crew aboard the tilted deck of the USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor, sunk during the December 7, 1941 sneak attack by the Japanese
The capsized the USS Oklahoma and the USS Maryland, were two of the ships destroyed in the attack on Pearl Harbor
The USS Oklahoma floats capsized near the USS Maryland. The ships were destroyed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941
Battleship U.S.S. Oklahoma at the bottom of Pearl Harbor after the devastating Japanese bombing attack
‘My only regret of course is Pop and all his brothers weren’t here to welcome their brother home, but they are looking down I’m sure with a big, big smile,’ Frank said.
Members of the US Navy served as pallbearers during the funeral, with Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew DeAngelo calling the experience ‘humbling.’
‘It’s such a unique experience to be a part of. It really pulls at the heartstrings to provide the service for this servicemember,’ he told Citizen Voice.
Navy personnel recovered the crew’s remains, which were buried at cemeteries in Hawaii.
They were disinterred in 1947 with hopes of identifying them; those unidentified were reburied.
In 2015, those remains were reanalyzed, and Slapikas’ remains were identified.
The Defense Department’s POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Navy Seaman 1st Class Edward Slapikas was buried in his hometown on Saturday
Slapikas, then 26, was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored in Pearl Harbor when it was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941
People throughout the area came to honor Slapikas at St. Mary’s Cemetery Saturday morning, greeting him on his return back home
A veteran stands near the hearse containing the flag-draped casket of Navy Seaman 1st Class Edward Slapikas after it arrived on Friday