KEMPTON, Ind. (WOWO) — A Kempton native who was killed aboard the USS West Virginia during the attack on Pearl Harbor will be laid to rest nearly 85 years after his death.

Fireman 1st Class Fred Boyer died on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor. Boyer was born and raised in Kempton and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in Indianapolis in September 1940.

Boyer served aboard the USS West Virginia beginning in November 1940. As a Fireman 1st Class, his duties included engineering watches, ship security and maintenance, as well as assisting with the transfer of fuel and supplies while at sea.

He was among the sailors whose remains were not identified following the attack.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency began work to identify sailors from the USS West Virginia in 2017, when 35 unknown remains associated with the ship were disinterred from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.

Scientists used forensic anthropology, dental records, personal effects, DNA and other evidence to identify the remains. The process has resulted in the identification of 13 USS West Virginia sailors as of June 2022.

Boyer’s remains have now been identified and will be returned to his hometown.

His burial with full military honors is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, at Kempton Cemetery on South County Road 1125 West.

Boyer was 23 years old when he was killed. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal.

His family, which now lives in Fort Wayne, will be available to speak with members of the media following the burial ceremony.

The Navy says identifying the remains of sailors lost at Pearl Harbor fulfills its commitment to never abandon its fallen service members and can provide closure for families decades after their loved ones were lost.