Flags flew at half-staff Friday as an Arkansas family held a funeral for a fallen hero from our country's past.
Seaman First Class Ernest Ray West was killed in action during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. His remains had never been found until they were identified by a recent DNA test.
His niece, Nancy Tucker, shared how her mother responded to the news she's waited 77 years to hear.
"My Momma—his sister— she had waited. When she saw the Navy come this time in April, she knew something was up. I told her they found Uncle Ernest and Momma being with Alzheimer's, you could see that she knew."
West's sister died just days after getting that visit.
Tucker believes her mom spent all those years waiting to find out the truth of what happened to her brother. She was 101 years old when she died.
Many families in Arkansas and across the nation still haven't heard about service members missing, captured or killed in the past century of war.
Though they may not have the closure of a proper funeral, the state and nation are remembering the sacrifices and urging the quick return of all service member still unaccounted for.
Dr. Thomas Holland with the Defence POW/MIA Agency said that September 20 isn't the only national POW/MIA Recognition Day.
"We rejoice in the return of our POWs, but for the families of these almost 82,000 men and women— the ones whose bodies remain missing— the wait continues."
World War II alone left 79,000 Americans unaccounted for. Seven thousand have now been identified. But, unfortunately, many can't be— especially those lost at sea.
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