The remains of Alabama World War II veteran Johnnie C. Laurie returned home to Bessemer on Thursday, receiving full military honors.
According to information from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), Laurie’s remains were accounted for on July 2.
The DPAA explained that Laurie was a long last casualty of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during WWII.
“On Dec. 7, 1941, Laurie was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Laurie,” the agency explained.
Navy Mess Attendant 1st Class Laurie was 25 at the time of his death.
Almost 78 years later, WBRC reported that one of his brothers, Elmer White, was on hand to witness Laurie’s homecoming on Thursday.
White fondly remembers Laurie from the first time that he came home on furlough — which was the last time he and his family would ever see the Navy sailor.
“I’m glad that he was able to come back to Alabama. … He was a very nice person, Johnnie Laurie,” White told WBRC.
Laurie’s remains will be buried in a full military ceremony at Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo on Friday.
For the week of his burial, the American Village honored Laurie as the “Veteran of the Week.”
“He is representative of the hundreds of thousands of Alabamians who have risked it all for the sake of our country and its freedom. To all veterans we owe a debt we can never fully repay,” American Village founder and CEO Tom Walker said.
There are still 72,671 unidentified American veterans killed in WWII.
A purple heart was reportedly buried with Laurie’s mother when she passed away several years ago.
You can read more about the extensive recovery and identification process here.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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