WWII Veteran's Remains Identified

Thursday, 30 April 2026

A local sailor killed in the Pearl Harbor attack is finally heading home. 

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced yesterday that they have identified the remains of U.S. Navy Seaman First Class Wayne Newton, from Terre Haute, Indiana.

Newton was assigned to the battleship USS California, which was at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor in 1941.

The ship was attacked by a Japanese aircraft, sustained multiple torpedo and bomb hits, and then caught fire and flooded, resulting in the deaths of 103 crewmen.

Many of them, including Newton were labeled as non-recoverable.

Newton’s identity was only found recently using evidence such as dental, anthropological, and isotope analysis.

Defense officials say Newton will have a funeral and be buried in his hometown on May 16th, 2026.

Older Articles Newer Articles