Two Indiana-born second cousins who died aboard separate battleships during the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor will finally receive individual burials with full military honors this May, more than 80 years after their deaths.
Seaman 1st Class Paul Eugene Newton, a native of Romney, Indiana, was serving aboard the USS West Virginia when Japanese forces struck Battleship Row. Newton, who enlisted in 1940 and rose to Seaman 1st Class the following year, was among the 105 crew members killed when the West Virginia was hit by at least seven torpedoes and two armor‑piercing bombs. He will be buried May 11 at Arlington National Cemetery.
His second cousin, Seaman 1st Class Wayne Newton of Terre Haute, was serving aboard the USS California during the attack. He will be buried May 16 at 11 a.m. in Grandview Cemetery in Terre Haute.
According to Navy records included in the service member’s file, Paul Newton’s duties aboard the West Virginia included deck operations, equipment maintenance, lookout watches, and serving on a gun crew. After the battleship sank, many remains were recovered and processed, but dozens were buried as “Unknowns” at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) began disinterring and analyzing remains associated with the USS West Virginia in 2017. Scientists used forensic anthropology, dental comparisons, and DNA analysis to identify previously unknown sailors. Newton’s remains were among those identified through this effort.
The Navy’s casualty office notifies families once identifications are confirmed and coordinates funeral arrangements, transportation, and full military honors. Families may choose burial at Arlington, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, or a private or local cemetery.
DPAA officials say the work remains vital for families who spent decades without answers. Many relatives, they note, grew up hearing stories that their loved one might someday return.
Newton’s identification brings long-awaited closure to his family and honors his service aboard the West Virginia, a ship that later returned to combat after extensive repairs and fought in major Pacific battles including Surigao Strait, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
Both Newton cousins will now be laid to rest with the recognition they were denied for more than eight decades.
