A Michigan sailor who perished in the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor will be laid to rest this month in Honolulu, Hawaii, as reported by Detroit Free Press. Raymond Devere Boynton, a Grandville native, will receive final honors at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific on March 20.
Boynton, who joined the Navy shortly after his 18th birthday, was among the more than 400 crew members who lost their lives when the USS Oklahoma was torpedoed during the December 7, 1941, surprise attack by Japan. After a lengthy identification process involving DNA and dental records, Boynton's remains were finally accounted for, bringing closure to his last surviving relative, Harry Zies. "She always felt, in the back of her mind that he was still alive," Zies, referencing his mother's long-held hope, told Detroit Free Press about his uncle's fate.
WGRD 97.9 noted Boynton's military honors, including a Purple Heart and World War II Victory Medal. His service record sustained, the attack claimed two other ships, wounding or damaging 18 U.S. naval vessels and resulting in the deaths of 2,403 men, among them Boynton, who was 19 years old at the time. The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, often called the Punchbowl, is the sailor's forthcoming resting place.
The USS Oklahoma was moored in Pearl Harbor on the fateful morning of the Japanese assault, quickly capsizing after being hit by numerous torpedoes. "Many of the men trapped in her upturned hull were cut free through the intense efforts of sailors and civilian Navy yard employees," reported TCTimes, capturing the desperate struggle to save lives as the battleship sank. Boynton will be posthumously honored among his fellow servicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Though no longer serving, Zies, expressing his military man's understanding, said he unfortunately won't be able to attend his uncle's burial due to prior pandemic-related cancellations.
