'We never leave anybody behind': Remains of WWII veteran lost in action return home to Ventura

Remains of veteran killed in Pearl Harbor return to Southern California

Navy Shiplifter 2nd Class Claude Garcia was killed in the Pearl Harbor attacks on Dec. 7, 1941. His body returned home with honors Tuesday after decades.

VENTURA, Calif. - A procession was held Tuesday following the recovery and return home of the remains of a World War II veteran once believed to be lost in action.

Navy Shipfitter 2nd Class Claude R. Garcia, 25, was killed in the Pearl Harbor attacks in 1941.

His body was recently found on May 12, 2022, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Now his remains were brought home to his final resting place in Ventura.

"It does show you that we never leave anybody behind," explained FOX 11 aerial reporter Stu Mundel. "And as soon as we find them, we do bring them home."

WWII veteran laid to rest in Ventura

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that Navy Shipfitter 2nd Class Claude R. Garcia, 25, killed during World War II, was accounted for on May 12, 2022. A procession was held for him to his final resting place in Ventura.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Garcia was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft.

The USS West Virginia sustained multiple torpedo hits, but timely counter-flooding measures taken by the crew prevented it from capsizing, and it came to rest on the shallow harbor floor.

Remains of veteran return home

The remains of a veteran killed in Pearl Harbor were recently identified through DNA... giving his family some closure. The remains of Claude R. Garcia were returned to Southern California. FOX 11's Christina Pascucci spoke to his great grand nephew.

The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 106 crewmen, including Garcia, officials said.

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