The body of a sailor from Liberty, Mississippi who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor will be brought back to the Magnolia State to be buried.
During his time in the navy, John Melton achieved the ranking of Seaman First Class and was assigned to the USS West Virginia in Hawaii.
Unfortunately, the infamous surprise attack conducted by the Japanese navy on the island ended up taking Melton’s life as well as the lives of 2,403 other Americans.
After his death, Melton received a Purple Heart Medal and a World War II Victory Medal.
In 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency conducted the USS West Virginia Project in which it sought to dig up the bodies of fallen soldiers who were assigned to the ship and reexamine them with advanced forensics technology.
As a result of the new technology, Melton’s remains were able to be identified. This was announced on January 4, 2022.
Now, Melton’s body is set to be buried in Gloster, Mississippi at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church’s cemetery on July 9.
