Remains of Arkansas-born sailor lost at Pearl Harbor identified, set to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – The remains of a sailor born in Arkansas and killed in the early hours of the Pearl Harbor attack that pulled the US into World War II have been identified and will receive a formal military internment.

Seaman 2nd Class Joseph Morris Robertson was stationed on the battleship USS Oklahoma as it was berthed in Pearl Harbor, on Dec. 7, 1941. It was the Paragould-born 18-year-old’s first duty station after boot camp.

His recently identified remains will be reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery on July 8 after his death in a battle that marked America’s entry into World War II.

On that fateful Dec. 7 at 7:55 a.m., the Japanese military launched a surprise attack on the Pearl Harbor base, and the Oklahoma was one of the first ships hit by three air-launched torpedoes followed by machine gun strafing.

Within 15 minutes the 27,900-ton ship capsized, trapping sailors who were below decks in its hull. Navy officials report sailors trapped in the Oklahoma’s hull began banging on it with hammers, leading to rescue efforts as holes were cut in the metal to provide an escape route on Dec. 8 and 9.

Ultimately 32 sailors were pulled out alive through holes. Banging continued from other sailors trapped below the waterline who rescuers were unable to reach. Those standing watch on the overturned hull reported no banging was heard after Dec. 10.

Records show that 429 sailors had lost their lives, including Robertson.

Robertson was born in Arkansas before his parents moved to Kentucky. He was the son of Ophus “Arkie” Sterling Robertson and Syble Lorane Haley Robinson, both buried side-by-side in Covington, Kentucky, listed as Joseph Robertson’s hometown.

Robertson’s sacrifice was honored in a condolence letter to his family from the president.

“Seaman Robertson stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live and grow and increase its blessings. Freedom lives and through it he lives in a way that humbles endeavors of most men.”

President Franklin Roosevelt, letter of condolence to Mr. and Mrs. Ophus Robertson.

Robertson was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. His other awards and decorations are the Combat Action Ribbon, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, and World War II Victory Medal.

Joseph was the oldest of three brothers and one sister. The youngest sibling, Donald, was born in 1943, two years after Joseph’s death. Robertson’s family has declined to speak with the press following the news of his identification.

The Oklahoma was righted in a 1944 salvage operation, and the remains of the 429 sailors were recovered by Navy specialists. Of those recovered, naval officials report 35 were identified, with the remaining 388 classified as unidentified and buried in 61 caskets in 45 grave sites at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in 1950.

Navy officials said that in 2015, a process began where the remains were exhumed for DNA analysis coordinated with samples from surviving family members. They said by December 2017, the remains of 100 sailors had been identified, and with an ongoing investigation by Dec. 7, 2021, all but 33 had been identified, with an additional single sailor identified in 2023.

Arkansas records show an estimated 194,645 Arkansans served in World War II, over 3,500 of whom were killed in combat. In the December attack on Pearl Harbor, 2,403 Natural State residents were killed, including 68 civilians and 2,008 Navy members, the majority on the battleship USS Arizona.

Since 1990, the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has accounted for 21 previously missing Arkansas World War II veterans, 12 of whom were killed at Pearl Harbor.

Only two other ships, the USS Arizona and USS Utah, both battleships, were lost on Dec. 7 alongside the Oklahoma. Four additional ships sank that day but were refloated and repaired for service, including the battleship USS West Virginia.

The Arizona and Utah remain at Pearl Harbor as memorials.

The USS Oklahoma was sold for salvage in 1944. It sank roughly 500 miles from Hawaii during a storm while being towed to California, the exact location of its final resting place unknown.

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