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MONROE, Sevier County — The ongoing effort by the military to positively identify fallen sailors from the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 has touched a Utah family very closely, now with the news that there is a perfect DNA match.
The family of Elliott Deen Larsen held a funeral for him in March of 1942. They also placed a headstone in the Monroe Cemetery and soon his remains will finally be laid to rest."
"This is Elliott Deen Larsen, handsome guy, had brown eyes and olive skin,” said Lisa King, Larsen’s niece.
Photos and scrapbooks are the only memories King has of her uncle, Elliott.
“Elliott Deen Larsen, musician first class is reported to have lost his life on Dec. 7, 1941,” King said.
But for a man who died long before she was born, King has always felt a close connection to him.
“He never sat still as people described him; very kind and loving, so it has been fun to learn more about him,” she said.
Larsen, who was in the Navy Band and played the baritone, was about to return home and had only been on the U.S.S. Oklahoma for one day before he and 428 sailors were killed in the attack.
Their unidentified remains have been interred in a cemetery in Honolulu, Hawaii. Recently, the military began using DNA of family members to identify the remains.
“The DNA was taken in 2011, so we finally decided we are not going to hear anything, so it was a big surprise,” King said.
Three Navy officers delivered the news in February, and King told her mother, who is Elliott's only living sibling.
“My mom is 95 now, and for me to be able to tell her that was pretty amazing. She smiled and cried at the same time,” King said.
It is an emotional moment, as this small town prepares to give a fallen hero a final homecoming 75 years after he was killed in the line of duty.
"I didn't know him, but it is very, very humbling, and we are proud of what he did. He represented our country, he was just really an amazing guy from all that we have heard, and I think it will be a good closure for the entire family,” King said.
The Larsen family plans funeral service on May 26 and then his remains will be laid to rest in the Monroe Cemetery will full military honors.
Contributing: Xoel Cardenas
