Alabama sailor killed during Pearl Harbor attack finally laid to rest

BOAZ, Ala. — An Alabama sailor who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor nearly 80 years ago was finally laid to rest in his hometown.

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The remains of Navy Fireman 2nd Class Ralph Curtis Battles, who died aboard the USS Oklahoma on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, were interred at Hillcrest Cemetery in Boaz, according to The Sand Mountain Reporter.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced in July that Battles, 25, of Boaz, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Feb. 12, 2021, the newspaper reported.

Battles’ nephew, Ralph Shell, said his parents and grandparents were unable to get closure after the sailor was killed in Hawaii on the morning that signified the United States’ entry into World War II.

“I think the tragic thing about it is the fact that they never got to experience the closure that you get from laying a loved one to rest,” Shell told WHNT. “They always expressed the desire for it, and I wish they were here today.”

The USS Oklahoma sank within minutes after it was hit with nine torpedoes at Pearl Harbor, WSFA reported. Battles was one of 429 people killed in the attack, and his family told the television station that he was among 388 bodies that remained in the ship’s hull for 18 months.

According to his obituary, Battles was born in Boaz on June 7, 1916, the son of Leonard Evan Battles and Beulah Stansel Battles. He enlisted in the Navy on July 5, 1940, and was attached as a Fireman 2nd Class to the USS Oklahoma, according to online military records.

Battles is now buried near his parents at Hillcrest Cemetery. Leonard Battles died on Sept. 26, 1963, while Beulah Battles died on Jan. 30, 1972.

“We leave no man behind,” Shell told WHNT. “The Navy has definitely proven that. Dec. 7, 2021, will be 80 years. And for them to do what they did just speaks volumes for their dedication to their own members.”

Battles’ family never gave up hope that his remains would be found and returned to Alabama.

“That is evidenced by the headstone and footstone they placed in this cemetery for him,” Shell told The Sand Mountain Reporter. “I remember his mom and cousins and aunts and uncles all saying he could come home. Today, he did.”

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