The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Seaman 1st Class James R. Ward, 20, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Aug. 19, 2021.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Ward was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Ward. For his actions during the attack, Ward posthumously received the Medal of Honor.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or https://www.linkedin.com/company/defense-pow-mia-accounting-agency.

Ward’s personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XgAYEA0.