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Nephew Honors Uncle's Memory After Pearl Harbor Tragedy

By Kevin M. Hymel on 11/6/2024

Roy Bubbs cried at the funeral service for an uncle he had never met. His uncle, U.S. Navy Fireman Third Class Harry R. Holmes, died onboard the battleship USS Oklahoma on Dec. 7, 1941, during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, which brought the United States into World War II.

“I didn’t know him,” Bubbs said after the service at Arlington National Cemetery on Oct. 24, 2024, “but my mother [Holmes’ sister] talked about him all the time, and she missed him a lot.” To honor his uncle, Bubbs named his son Harry.

Holmes’ remains were recovered from the ship after the attack, but at the time they could not be identified and were buried as unknown remains at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was only 19 years old at the time of his death. In 2015, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency reexamined the remains of unknowns from the USS Oklahoma and eventually identified Holmes.

Roy Bubbs’ daughter, Rachael Bubbs, accompanied him to the funeral service. She had made most of the arrangements for the service. “Being able to do this for my dad and my grandma was an honor,” she said.

Both father and daughter wanted Holmes to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Rachel Bubbs added that she was moved by the sailors who rendered honors at the funeral. “It was special because they were the same age as my uncle,” she said.  

At the service, U.S. Navy Chaplain (Lt.) Everett Fraley spoke about Holmes’ fate onboard the Oklahoma. “He was never able to return home alive, raise a family of his own, or live out his life and grow old,” he said, adding that Holmes and his shipmates “stared down evil and were not afraid to push back, even if it called for their lives.”

When the service ended, Roy Bubbs rose from his seat and placed his hands on his uncle’s casket. His daughter followed him, placing her hand on his back. “I’m glad there was closure for my mother, who passed away,” he later said as he held back tears. “I’m more upset than I thought I was going to be.”


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