From July 3, 2022 Kicks 96 News.
In 1941, as the holidays approached, a Mississippi sailor from Liberty stationed at Pearl Harbor on the USS West Virginia wrote home to his family that he was looking forward to coming home for Christmas. But Seaman First Class John Russell Melton never made it.
He was among those killed on the battleship USS West Virginia when it was hit by at least seven Japanese torpedoes and two armor-piercing bombs on December 7, 1941.
His remains were never identified and were buried along with other unknowns in a grave in Hawaii. But, they were disinterred in 2017 and sent to a lab for analysis -- and his family contacted for DNA samples which led to his identification.
And, he'll be coming home to Mississippi this Wednesday, July 6. His remains will be sent to New Orleans and then a motorcade will head to his hometown where flags will be displayed and people will pay their respects.
Saturday there will be a funeral with full military honors. The family intends to have him buried in a church cemetery along side his parents.
GreGen
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