Neglected Black Pearl Harbor Sailor ID’d by DPAA in NC

Pearl Harbor Black Sailor Finally Home After 83 Years

By Darius Spearman (africanelements)

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A Decades-Long Wait: WWII Sailor Identification Ends

Imagine waiting 83 years for a loved one to come home. That was the reality for the family of Neil Frye, a young Black man who served his country only to become one of the many casualties of the Pearl Harbor attack. Frye, just 20 years old, was a Navy Mess Attendant 3rd Class aboard the USS *West Virginia* on that fateful day, December 7, 1941. For decades, his remains lay unidentified, a painful unknown for his family. However, that long wait is finally over thanks to modern science and persistent efforts.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) achieved a breakthrough using DNA analysis. Frye’s remains were officially identified in September 2024. Consequently, he was laid to rest with full military honors on April 3, 2025, a date poignantly chosen as it would have been his 104th birthday (Missing Black Sailor Killed In Pearl Harbor Attack Finally Identified, Laid to Rest with Military Honors 83 Years Later). This identification was part of a larger DPAA project initiated in 2017, which involved exhuming the remains of 35 unidentified sailors from the USS *West Virginia*. Using mitochondrial DNA and anthropological analysis, alongside DNA samples submitted by Frye’s family in recent years, the agency was able to make the positive match (The remains of a Black Sailor killed in Pearl Harbor finally return home to his family; Missing since World War II, the remains of a sailor from a segregated Navy branch return home).

Serving with Dignity: Segregated Navy Branch História

Neil Frye enlisted in the Navy in 1940, a time when opportunities for Black men in the military were severely limited by racism. He served in the Messman Branch, a segregated unit primarily composed of African American and Asian sailors. Their designated role was to cook and serve food for white officers (Missing Black Sailor Killed In Pearl Harbor Attack Finally Identified, Laid to Rest with Military Honors 83 Years Later; The remains of a Black Sailor killed in Pearl Harbor finally return home to his family). This branch reflected the harsh reality of systemic racism deeply embedded within the U.S. Navy and American society.

Black sailors like Frye were barred from combat roles and restricted to service positions considered menial. His family recalled this era grimly, noting that “Black men were considered second-class” (Missing Black Sailor Killed In Pearl Harbor Attack Finally Identified, Laid to Rest with Military Honors 83 Years Later). Indeed, Navy policy before WWII actively confined Black sailors to the Messman Branch specifically to maintain segregation and cater to the prejudices of white personnel (Integration of the Navy (1941-1978)). Even when the Navy began expanding roles for Black sailors in 1942 due to wartime needs, those already in the Messman Branch were often prevented from transferring, facing continued segregation in living quarters and duties (Integration of the Navy (1941-1978)). Consequently, this policy reinforced racist stereotypes by assigning Black men to subordinate roles.

Bringing Heroes Home: DPAA Missing Soldier Identification

The identification of Neil Frye highlights the critical work of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Its mission is solemn yet vital: to provide the “fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel” from past conflicts (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency | New Orleans). This involves painstakingly locating, recovering, identifying, and ultimately repatriating the remains of service members like Frye. The process is complex, often involving international negotiations, archaeological fieldwork, and advanced laboratory analysis (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency – The National WWII Museum).

For historical cases like Frye’s, DPAA relies heavily on forensic science, especially DNA analysis. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), passed down through the maternal line, is particularly valuable because it remains relatively stable over generations and can be extracted from older or degraded remains (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency | New Orleans). Therefore, family reference samples are essential. DPAA actively collaborates with families and institutions like The National WWII Museum, holding briefings across the country to update families and collect these crucial DNA samples (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency – The National WWII Museum). Frye’s identification, stemming from the 2017 exhumation and subsequent DNA matching, underscores the importance of this collaborative effort (The remains of a Black Sailor killed in Pearl Harbor finally return home to his family).

Closure and Recognition: A Family’s Journey

Frye was one of nine siblings. For decades, his family held onto hope, even as the chances of finding him seemed slim. His last surviving sibling, 87-year-old Mary Frye McCrimmon, described the news of his identification as “emotional but beautiful” (Missing since World War II, the remains of a sailor from a segregated Navy branch return home). The family’s persistent engagement with the DPAA, starting around 2014 by attending regional update meetings and providing DNA samples, played a crucial role in this long-awaited closure (Missing Black Sailor Killed In Pearl Harbor Attack Finally Identified, Laid to Rest with Military Honors 83 Years Later; The remains of a Black Sailor killed in Pearl Harbor finally return home to his family). This process likely gained momentum through DPAA’s outreach initiatives designed to connect with families of the missing (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency | New Orleans).

Frye’s story is not just about identification but also recognition. Despite serving under discriminatory policies, he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal and the Combat Action Ribbon in April 2025 (Missing Black Sailor Killed In Pearl Harbor Attack Finally Identified, Laid to Rest with Military Honors 83 Years Later; NC sailor killed in Pearl Harbor attack gets full military burial more …). His death occurred aboard the USS *West Virginia* when it sank after being hit by multiple torpedoes and bombs during the attack that claimed roughly 2,000 American lives (Missing Black Sailor Killed In Pearl Harbor Attack Finally Identified, Laid to Rest with Military Honors 83 Years Later). His remains were eventually found in the ship’s ammunition passageway (The remains of a Black Sailor killed in Pearl Harbor finally return home to his family). Ultimately, Frye’s identification connects to broader efforts for social justice, ensuring that Black veterans and other marginalized service members who faced systemic neglect receive the honor they deserve, correcting historical erasures (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency – The National WWII Museum). His story also surfaces amid ongoing discussions about diversity and equity within the military (The remains of a Black Sailor killed in Pearl Harbor finally return home to his family).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darius Spearman has been a professor of Black Studies at San Diego City College since 2007. He is the author of several books, including Between The Color Lines: A History of African Americans on the California Frontier Through 1890. You can visit Darius online at africanelements.org.