STOCKTON, Calif. — The remains of a man who fought and died in the attack on Pearl Harbor have been identified as a US Navy sailor from Stockton.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), identified the sailor as Petty Officer 1st Class Charles E. Hudson of Stockton, Calif. His remains were accounted for on Dec. 22, 2020.
Husdon was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, stationed in Ford Island, Pearl Harbor when it was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The attack killed 429 crew members, including Hudson.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel tried to recover the remains of the entire crew but were unsuccessful. They were only able to identify 35 men from USS Oklahoma. The personnel buried the unknowns in an area of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, Hudson was included.
Between June 2015 and November 2015, the DPAA exhumed remains from the Punchbowl. Scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System also ran a DNA analysis which also confirmed Hudson's identity.
Petty Officer 1st Class Charles E. Hudson of Stockton will be buried on Sept. 10, 2021, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
For information about the family and funeral, contact the Navy Service Casualty office at (800) 443-9298.
