ALBANY, Ore. — An Oregon woman plans a spring burial for the remains of her brother, who died during World War II and was identified through DNA.
Rosella Workinger says she was notified three years ago that the U.S. Department of Defense was matching DNA records of bones buried in unmarked graves in Hawaii. She and her son were asked to provide DNA samples.
Her brother Claude Gowey was identified through that process. He served on the USS Oklahoma, which was hit in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Workinger says her family initially was told Gowey was missing in action but came to accept he had died. The Albany Democrat-Herald reported that Gowey was among more than 100 sailors whose remains were buried in a casket.
The burial is planned for Arlington National Cemetery.
