Readiness

Mr. Derek Black, left, Private Waldean Black’s closest relative is presented with sand from Omaha Beach by Benny Guerrero, retired Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer, right, during Private Waldean Black’s funeral in Perryton, Texas, April 28, 2022. The remains from the USS Oklahoma were buried in 52 mass graves for the entirety of World War ll before being exhumed with the intention of identifying all the men. By the end of 1949 only 49 bodies were identified. The others were reburied in 46 shared graves. In 2015, the Secretary of Defense issued a directive to exhume the 46 graves and utilize modern technology to identify the bodies using DNA. Black was officially accounted for on Dec. 13, 2018, thank to the DNA from his closest living relative, his nephew Derek Black. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Samwel Tabancay)