ARLINGTON, Va. — An Atlanta-born Navy veteran who died during World War II was buried at Arlington National Cemetery Friday.
Archie Callahan Jr. was killed in the line of duty during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.
While born in Atlanta, Callahan grew up in Newark, N.J., and enlisted in the Navy in New York City in August 1940.
Callahan died at the age of 19.
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In April, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced Navy Mess Attendant 2nd Class Archie Callahan, Jr. had been accounted for in late 2017.
During his time in the Navy, Callahan was assigned to the U.S.S. Oklahoma, a battleship moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the Oklahoma was hit by multiple torpedoes, causing it to capsize.
The ship’s sinking into the water resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmembers, Callahan among them, according to DPAA.
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Callahan’s remains were disinterred in 2015 from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, called the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The DPAA and the Department of Veterans Affairs worked together to identify his remains, and others, in the cemetery, leading to the identification of the deceased veterans, listed as missing from World War II.
The identification process was achieved through a combination of dental and anthropological analysis from the Armed Forces Medical Exmainer System, including examination of Callahan’s mitochondrial DNA.
At the time, when Callahan was confirmed as accounted for, a rosette was placed by his name at the Courts of the Missing, according to DPAA.
On Sept. 8, Callahan’s remains were interred at Arlington National Cemetery, though later than initially scheduled.
A bomb threat at the cemetery shut down the facility for part of the day, according to officials.
“Every threat to Arlington National Cemetery is taken seriously. I want to thank our visitors and family members for their patience and understanding, and an extensive team of our law enforcement partners across the National Capital Region for their swift and thorough response. We will spend the remainder of the day focused on our mission of laying our service members and their loved ones to rest,” Army National Military Cemeteries and Office of Army Cemeteries Executive Director Karen Durham-Aguilera said Friday.
While the cemetery closed to the general public for the remainder of Friday, burials that were already scheduled or in progress were completed.
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