Remains From Patchogue Sailor Killed At Pearl Harbor Identified

U.S. military officials announced today that the remains of a New York sailor killed 77 years ago in the Pearl Harbor attack was identified as a Patchogue native.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) say the remains of Navy Fireman 3rd Class Kenneth L. Jayne, 26, of Patchogue, have been identified.

Jayne was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the fleet was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. According to military officials, the was hit by multiple torpedos and quickly capsized, killing 429 crewmen, including Jayne.

From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the killed crew, and in September 1947, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks.

At the time, the laboratory staff could only confirm the identities of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma.

Scientists from the DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner used DNA analysis, dental analysis to identify Jayne's remains, officials said.

Jayne’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for, officials said.

"DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their partnership in this mission.Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war," according to a news release.

There are 72,771 (approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable) still unaccounted for from World War II.

For funeral details and family contact information, contact the Navy Casualty Office at (800) 443-9298.For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or call (703) 699-1420/1169.

Photo: U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency