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Sailors from the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard and the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Band along with soldiers from the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) Caisson Detachment conduct full military funeral honors with escort for U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class Paul Newton in Section 57 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, May 11, 2026. Newton, 20, was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He was accounted for in 2024 – over 80 years later.
From a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) press release:
On Dec. 7, 1941, Newton was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS West Virginia sustained multiple torpedo hits, but timely counter-flooding measures taken by the crew prevented it from capsizing, and it came to rest on the shallow harbor floor. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 106 crewmen, including Newton.
During efforts to salvage the USS West Virginia, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crewmen, which were interred at Halawa Naval Cemetery on Oahu. After the war, the American Graves Registration Service identified 42 individuals from the remains interred at Halawa. Those who could not be identified, including Newton, were interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
From June through October 2017, DPAA, in cooperation with cemetery officials, disinterred the 35 Unknowns reported to be associated with the USS West Virginia from the Punchbowl and transferred the remains to the DPAA laboratory for analysis.
To identify Newton’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological and dental analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome DNA analysis.
Newton was official accounted for on Sept. 30, 2024.Rebecca Schmale, Newton’s great niece, received the U.S. flag from his funeral service.
(U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released)
| Date Taken: | 05.11.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.14.2026 15:23 |
| Photo ID: | 9684634 |
| VIRIN: | 260511-A-IW468-6655 |
| Resolution: | 8256x5504 |
| Size: | 10.42 MB |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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