As the bugle fell silent on the fields of Arlington National Cemetery on a gray December Thursday, a heroic sailor was finally laid to rest 82 years after his story and that of one of the most defining moments of American history became intertwined.
The sailor was Seaman 1st Class James Ward. He was stationed aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma when the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
As the ship, holed by three aerial torpedoes, began to roll and sink in the bay, Ward remained at his 14" gun turret holding a flashlight -- an act of heroism that meant the rest of the turret crew could see their way to safety but at the cost of his own life. His actions earned him the Medal of Honor.
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