Soldier's remains identified as man from Worthington
By Timberly Ferree, staff writer
An unknown fallen World War II soldier who was buried in Hawaii has been identified as a former Worthington resident and will soon be put to rest in his hometown on July 21.
According to Heather Harris, a historian for the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command in Honolulu, Hickam Air Force Base, Alfred Livingston - who was buried as an unknown soldier at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific - was identified through dental records.
ÒWe actually did not make this identification based on DNA. We made it on historical evidence based on dental records ... a dental match between the paper records we have for Livingston and the pieces for the unknown,Ó Harris explained during a Tuesday afternoon interview.
Livingston was serving in the Navy on the USS Oklahoma when Pearl Harbor was attacked, Harris said. He was put to rest as an unknown soldier at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
According to Harris, Livingston's identification would have not been possible without the research of Ray Emory, an 86-year-old Peal Harbor survivor.
ÒMr. Emory started doing this in 1968. He conducts extensive research on Pearl Harbor, researching casualty lists ... along the way he started researching into buried unknowns since the late '90s. He contacted us about Livingston,Ó Harris explained.
In a phone interview with Emory, he explained that Livingston's mother was the former Lenora Price. His sister was Lois Hobbs of Greenwood and his closest living relative is a nephew, Douglas Hobbs, also of Greenwood.
Hobbs was not available for comment.
More information about the July 21 ceremony will be announced at a later date.
© 2001 The Daily World