This episode of the 1836 Podcast tells the powerful true story of seventeen-year-old Royle Bradford Luker from Plainview, Arkansas. A young sailor aboard the USS West Virginia, Royle was killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. For 84 years, his remains lay unidentified in an unmarked grave in Hawaii. Thanks to the tireless work of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), he was finally identified in 2024. On May 30, 2026, this brave young hero is coming home to Arkansas for a full military burial with honors at New Bethel Cemetery near Plainview. Join us as we honor Royle’s life, service, sacrifice, and the long journey home that took more than eight decades. A moving reminder of duty, family, and America’s promise to never forget her fallen.

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