More than 80 years after making the ultimate sacrifice during the attack on Pearl Harbor, an Arkansas sailor will return home to be laid to rest.
Royle Bradford Luker of North Little Rock was serving as a Fireman Third Class in the United States Navy aboard the U.S.S. West Virginia when he was killed in the line of duty on Dec. 7, 1941, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He was 17 years old.
For decades, Luker was listed as killed in action, but his remains were considered unidentified, or “non-recoverable.” Through advances in forensic science and the work of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, his case was reopened. DNA testing, along with samples provided by living relatives, helped restore his identity and allow him to return home to Arkansas…