More than eight decades after he was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor, the remains of 17-year-old sailor Royle Bradford Luker are finally returning home to Arkansas, where he will be laid to rest with full military honors on May 30.According to his obituary from Cornwell Funeral Homes, Luker will be buried at New Bethel Cemetery near Plainview, Arkansas, alongside his parents. The burial comes nearly 85 years after the teenager lost his life aboard the battleship USS West Virginia during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.Who was Royle Bradford Luker?Royle Bradford Luker was among the 106 crewmen who died when the USS West Virginia was struck during Japan's surprise assault on Pearl Harbor. Born on March 15, 1924, in North Little Rock, Arkansas, Luker joined the United States Navy as a teenager during World War II. The son of a World War I veteran then served as a Fireman Third Class aboard the USS West Virginia."As a Fireman Third Class in the United States Navy aboard the U.S.S. West Virginia, he gave his all and was killed in the line of duty during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941," his obituary from Cornwell Funeral Homes stated.Also Read: Why the US-Iran deal is stuck: Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly hiding in undisclosed location inaccessible even to top Iranian officialsThe USS West Virginia was moored at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor when Japanese aircraft launched their surprise attack. The battleship suffered multiple torpedo strikes and eventually sank into the shallow harbor floor.Why was he unidentified for decades?Following the attack, Navy personnel recovered numerous remains during salvage operations on the USS West Virginia. While some victims were identified, many others, including Luker, could not be conclusively recognized at the time and were buried as ‘unknowns’ at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.For decades, Luker remained officially listed as killed in action, but his remains were categorized as “non-recoverable.” That changed after advances in forensic science allowed investigators to reopen the case.According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, authorities exhumed 35 caskets connected to USS West Virginia crew members in 2017 and conducted modern forensic and DNA testing in Hawaii.On May 29, 2024, the agency officially identified Luker’s remains through DNA analysis and comparisons with living relatives.“More than 80 years later, DNA from Royle Luker and a family's willingness to share their DNA bridged the gap between loss and knowing. He will now be returned home and laid to rest,” the obituary stated.Luker’s Honors and military recognitionLuker received several posthumous military honors for his service and sacrifice, including the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and Navy Expeditionary Medal. He was also recognized as a World War II Gold Star Veteran from Arkansas. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Luker is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.