After waiting 74 years, a local man says he was “elated” when he received notification from the U.S. Navy last month stating that the remains of his uncle had been identified. Elbert Hoard received a Western Union message that informed him and his family of the death of his Uncle, Herbert John Hoard, at Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. Elbert was 12 years old at the time of his Uncle’s death and recalls his sadness at the hearing the news all those year ago saying “He was my favorite uncle.”

Elbert’s uncle, Herbert John Hoard, was acting as Chief Storekeeper aboard the battleship U.S.S. Oklahoma when the Japanese attacked. Two months after Pearl Harbor Day, Herbert’s parents received a telegram indicating that after an “exhausting search” the Navy could not locate their son and that he had officially been declared killed in the line of duty.

The use of DNA and dental records were required to make a positive identification. Herbert Hoard’s remains will be flown from Hawaii to St. Louis, Mo., to DeSoto, Mo., where, on May 21, 2016, he will be laid to rest, near his parents, with military honors.