--- title: "After 84 years, a sailor comes home" description: "The remains of Navy Fireman 1st Class Edward D. Bowden, who died aboard the USS California during the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, have been identified 84 years later, bringing closure and honoring his legacy." url: "https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/after-84-years-a-sailor-comes-home" date: "2026-08-09T20:19:15+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- # After 84 years, a sailor comes home ![The USS California on fire after the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941.](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/blog/2025/Pearl_Harbor/The-USS-California-on-fire-after-the-Japanese-attack-on-Pearl-Harbor.jpg)The USS California on fire after the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. ![USS California (BB-44) sinking after the Pearl Harbor attack](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/blog/2025/Pearl_Harbor/The-California-on-fire-after-the-Japanese-attack-on-Pearl-Harbor.jpg)USS California (BB-44) sinking after the Pearl Harbor attack [](#) [](#) - [](#) - [](#) Copyright: Copyrights lie with the makers of these photographs. More than eight decades after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the remains of a U.S. Navy sailor have been identified, bringing long-awaited closure to a story of service and sacrifice. **Fireman First Class Edward Daniel Bowden**, a native of New Bern, North Carolina, began his service in the U.S. Navy from his home state of North Carolina, where he was assigned to the USS California (BB-44), a Tennessee-class battleship stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the morning of December 7, 1941, the USS California was moored at Pearl Harbor when Japanese aircraft launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet. In the opening minutes of the assault, the ship was struck by two torpedoes and a bomb, which caused devastating damage to its hull and upper decks. Nearly 100 sailors and Marines aboard the California lost their lives that day, Seaman Bowden among them. In the months that followed, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the fallen crew, who were laid to rest in Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemeteries in Hawaii. Several years later, in 1947, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) began a large-scale effort to recover and identify fallen U.S. service members across the Pacific. The remains from those two cemeteries were moved to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks, Oahu. By that time, identifications had been made for approximately 82 sailors from the USS California, 43 soon after the attack and another 39 following the AGRS review. Sadly, many other sets of remains could not be identified and were respectfully reinterred as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. In 1949, Seaman Bowden was officially classified as non-recoverable. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced this week that Bowden’s remains have been positively identified, 84 years after his death. Advances in forensic science and DNA analysis made it possible to reconnect his legacy with his name, ensuring that his story and his sacrifice will never be forgotten. Bowden’s identification stands as a testament to ongoing efforts by the U.S. military to honor those who served and to bring closure to families still waiting for answers. His story reminds us that history is not just about dates and battles, but about the people who lived and gave their lives within them. --- Additional info --- ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/us-navy-badge.png)US Navy cap badge --- ![Newspaper article stating Bowden's death](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/blog/2025/Pearl_Harbor/Newspaper-article-stating-Bowdens-death.jpg)Newspaper article stating Bowden's death [ Add your blog post! ](https://www.normandy1944.info/contact#contact) --- - [](https://www.facebook.com/Normandy1944) - [](https://www.instagram.com/Normandy1944) - [](https://www.threads.com/@normandy1944) Share this article on your socials --- Post has been read: 671 times --- Published on: 31 October 2025 ### Also read these interesting articles [ ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/ff/p011351-ff4ae88b.jpg?src=images/photos/France/omaha_beach/p011351.jpg&thumbnail=400,260,&hash=47369fdc) ### UNESCO awards D-Day Beaches ](https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/d-day-beaches-awarded-unesco-world-heritage-status) [ ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/78/Canadian_Scottish_veteran_Nick_Janicki-783936fb.jpg?src=images/blog/2026/Janicki/Canadian_Scottish_veteran_Nick_Janicki.jpg&thumbnail=400,260,&hash=f36aedef) ### Canadian Trail Overijssel ](https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/canadian-trail-overijssel) [ ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/93/German-Pervitin-the-drug-that-the-German-soldiers-used-in-WW2-to-stay-awake-9377056f.jpg?src=images/blog/2026/Drugs_and_more/German-Pervitin-the-drug-that-the-German-soldiers-used-in-WW2-to-stay-awake.jpg&thumbnail=400,260,&hash=4953a62c) ### Hygiene, Stimulants and survival in WW2 ](https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/hygiene-stimulants-and-survival-in-ww2) [ ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/13/Japanese-Army-Proficiency-Badges-by-Andrew-Reznik-139941c1.jpg?src=images/blog/2026/Japanese_Army_Proficiency_Badges_Andrew_Reznik/Japanese-Army-Proficiency-Badges-by-Andrew-Reznik.jpg&thumbnail=400,260,&hash=e0503ae5) ### Japanese Army Proficiency Badges by Andrew Reznik ](https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/japanese-army-proficiency-badges-by-andrew-reznik) [ ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/c3/Auschwitz-Museum-unveils-new-exhibition-on-prisoner-life-c3800aef.jpg?src=images/blog/2025/Auschwitz_expo/Auschwitz-Museum-unveils-new-exhibition-on-prisoner-life.jpg&thumbnail=400,260,&hash=89c29692) ### Auschwitz Museum unveils new exhibition on prisoner life ](https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/auschwitz-museum-unveils-new-exhibition-on-prisoner-life) [ ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/7f/Charles-Norman-Shay-young-man-7fbdf29b.jpg?src=images/blog/2025/charles_norman_shay/Charles-Norman-Shay-young-man.jpg&thumbnail=400,260,&hash=88e4bbab) ### Charles Norman Shay dies at the age of 101 ](https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/charles-norman-shay-dies-at-the-age-of-101) [ ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/12/Women-of-the-WRNS-operating-codebreaking-machines-at-Bletchley-Park-12e94403.jpg?src=images/blog/2025/Women_on_DDay/Women-of-the-WRNS-operating-codebreaking-machines-at-Bletchley-Park.jpg&thumbnail=400,260,&hash=3a0b7804) ### Women in the Normandy Campaign: Unsung Contributions ](https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/women-in-the-normandy-campaign-unsung-contributions) [ ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/20/Technician-Fourth-Class-George-H.-Pruitt-43rd-20db7067.jpg?src=images/blog/2025/George_H_Pruitt/Technician-Fourth-Class-George-H.-Pruitt-43rd.jpg&thumbnail=400,260,&hash=c673514c) ### When honour is hidden: removal of Black American soldiers ](https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/when-honour-is-hidden-removal-of-black-american-soldiers) [ ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/f1/The-USS-California-on-fire-after-the-Japanese-attack-on-Pearl-Harbor-colorised-f10f5307.jpg?src=images/blog/2025/Pearl_Harbor/The-USS-California-on-fire-after-the-Japanese-attack-on-Pearl-Harbor-colorised.jpg&thumbnail=400,260,&hash=eaf6ec4c) ### After 84 years, a sailor comes home ](https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/after-84-years-a-sailor-comes-home) [ ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/b2/Death-of-Lt.-Col.-George-E.-Hardy-b227ccec.jpg?src=images/blog/2025/Passing_of_George_Hardy/Death-of-Lt.-Col.-George-E.-Hardy.jpg&thumbnail=400,260,&hash=7497832d) ### The passing of the last Tuskegee airman ](https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/the-passing-of-the-last-tuskegee-airman) [](#) [](#) ## Schema ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/after-84-years-a-sailor-comes-home" }, "headline": "After 84 years, a sailor comes home", "description": "The remains of Navy Fireman 1st Class Edward D. Bowden, who died aboard the USS California during the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, have been identified 84 years later, bringing closure and honoring his legacy.", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.normandy1944.info/images/blog/2025/Pearl_Harbor/The-USS-California-on-fire-after-the-Japanese-attack-on-Pearl-Harbor.jpg" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Normandy1944.info – D-Day, Normandy and Beyond", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.normandy1944.info/images/logo/D-Day-Normandy-1944-WW2-logo.png" } }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frank C. Everards", "url": "https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/how-it-started" }, "datePublished": "2025-10-31T09:36:11+01:00", "dateCreated": "2025-10-31T08:35:56+01:00", "dateModified": "2025-11-11T11:57:20+01:00" } ```