A Mississippi sailor will finally receive a proper burial exactly 77 years after his death.
Navy Aviation Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Durell Wade of Calhoun County will be buried at 2 p.m. on Friday, December 7, 2018, in the North Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Kilmichael.
Wade was killed on December 7, 1941, while serving on the USS Oklahoma, which was docked at Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. Wade was one of 429 crewmen killed during the attack.
According to Mississippi Veterans Affairs, Wade’s remains were identified through DNA testing and are finally being returned to Mississippi for burial. Wade will be buried on the 77th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Marcus Lawson, director of the North Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery said the inscription on Wade’s headstone captures the spirit of the occasion, “Home at Last.”
“Though not from Montgomery County, Petty Officer Wade was no different than the young men sent to war from Small Town, Mississippi,” said Lawson. “We don’t ever think about not coming home. I’m glad to welcome Petty Officer Wade ‘home at last.’”
A Montgomery County sailor also lost his life at Pearl Harbor 77 years ago.
Seaman Second Class Herbert S. Curtis, Jr., of Montgomery County was aboard his ship, the U.S.S. California, at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when he was killed by enemy action. He was just 22 years old at the time of his death.
According to his obituary on Find A Grave, Curtis was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously for this action and later awarded the World War II Victory Medal, both posthumously.
In 1947, according to a story published in the Winona Times, Curtis’ remains were returned to Montgomery County, and he was buried at Bethel Methodist Cemetery.
