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MODERN FORENSICS END A MYSTERY

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Sailors from the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard and the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Band conduct military funeral honors with funeral escort for U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class Aaron L. McMurtrey in Section 69 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. McMurtrey was killed during WWII at age 27.From a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) press release:On Dec. 7, 1941, McMurtrey was assigned to the battleship USS California, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS California sustained multiple torpedo and bomb hits which caused it to catch fire and slowly flood. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 103 crewman, including McMurtrey.From December 1941 to April 1942, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew and subsequentially interred them in the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries in Hawaii.In September 1947, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. causalities from these cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks as part of their task to recover and identify fallen U.S. personnel from the Pacific Theater. In addition to the 42 causalities initially identified from the USS California after the attack, the laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 39 men from the ship, none of which were McMurtrey. The AGRS subsequently buried the outstanding unidentified remains in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) (also known as the Punchbowl) in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified the remains of the unidentified USS California crew members, including McMurtrey, as non-recoverable.In 2018, DPAA personnel exhumed the 25 USS California Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis. Anthropological analysis by scientists at DPAA and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis by scientists at the Armed Forces Medical Examiners System were used to finally identify McMurtery’s remains.McMurtrey was officially accounted for on July 31, 2024, over 80 years since his death. McMurtery’s niece, Sharon Gunselman, received the U.S. flag from his funeral service.(U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released)

Arlington, Virginia. (February 13, 2025): Thanks to today’s cutting-edge forensics, a Sailor who lost his life at Pearl Harbor can finally return home. In this photo by Elizabeth Fraser, Sailors render military honors for Seaman 1st Class Aaron L. McMurtrey in Section 69 of Arlington National Cemetery. McMurtrey was assigned to the USS California on December 7, 1941, when the battleship was struck by multiple torpedoes and aerial bombs. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 103 crew members including McMurtrey. Originally from Durant, Oklahoma, McMurtrey joined the Navy months before being assigned to the ill-fated California. He was officially accounted for in 2024 after his remains were identified using modern, highly sophisticated forensic tools.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) employed two primary analytical methods to identify Seaman McMurtrey were Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and analysis of the Y chromosome (Y-STR).

Scientists use mtDNA to unlock a unique code passed down from mother to child during fertilization. A person’s mtDNA is unique and is often used today to confirm maternal ancestry when other methods fail. Since only males possess a Y chromosome, Y-STR analysis is used to measure DNA from the father to further confirm an identification.

The combination of these high-tech forensics tools has allowed the DPAA to relieve the suffering and doubt of military families who are now finally able to say their proper goodbyes.

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