PARIS, Ky. — It was a homecoming that was decades in the making. Alphard S. Owsley, a sailor killed in Pearl Harbor, was laid to rest with his family on Thursday in Paris, Kentucky.
What You Need To Know
- 80 years later, Alphard S. Owsley is laid to rest with his family
- Owsley was killed in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941
- He remained unidentified until now
- The Navy held a formal ceremony along with the Kentucky Rolling Thunder to welcome him home
The navy sailor was among the many killed the day the Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
He remained unidentified from December 7, 1941 until now.
On Thursday, Alphard Stanley Owsley was laid to rest 80 years later after arriving home a week ago.
“It was overwhelming, so much grief because my grandmother had just recently passed, but it does bring us peace and to know that we were able to bring him back to be with her,” said BJ Linville Short, Owsley’s great-niece. “I can't imagine not knowing where your loved one was for all those years.”
The Kentucky sailor was 23 and assigned to the Battleship USS Oklahoma as Navy Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class.
Short recalled that his sister Mary Ida played a key role in identifying him during a DNA test.
“Initially thought about just burying him in Hawaii with his shipmates,” Short said. “But because he was so close to my grandmother, and we do this is what she would have wanted. So all of this is done in her honor.”
Owsley's sister passed away in May 2020.
Short said several months later in September 2020, the Navy called and accounted for Owsley, identifying him. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the family met with the Navy this June and began a plan to bring Owsley home.
“I've read more about Pearl Harbor in the last bit, and to know that the horror, that these men went through on what they thought was going to be relaxing Sunday morning, is just terrific,” Short said. “So, there is a lot of grief, grief that my grandmother is in here, grief that Stanley died so young and, you know, we're just honored to be a part of this and so blessed that he was identified.”
The ceremony Thursday brought together generations to witness a tribute and provided an opportunity for each service member to salute Owsley for his service.
“These men gave everything and sometimes in history, it lessens the grief, it lessens how horrible this was. So I think it's important that they realize that there were people that loved these sailors and lives that were lost, futures that were lost,” Short said.
A bronze Navy plaque sits at the family plot dedicated to Owsley. It will soon be permanently put next to his sister.
Gov. Andy Beshear requested flags at all state buildings to be lowered to half-staff in honor of Owsley.