A US Navy seaman who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor will be laid to rest in his native Northeast Arkansas Friday, June 8.  Seaman First Class Glenn Tipton will be remembered in a memorial service at the Wings of Honor World War II Museum in Walnut Ridge, followed by a procession that is lined with yellow ribbons to his final resting place near Ravenden.

Tipton was a Randolph County native who was killed when his ship, the USS Oklahoma, capsized during the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941. His remains and those of many others lost on the ship were anonymous until recently, when some, including Tipton’s, were identified through the use of DNA technology.

“We are truly honored to have this family choose us for Mr. Tipton’s service, and we’re just proud that he’s finally back home and can be laid to rest in his home territory,” said Harold Johnson, who manages the Wings of Honor Museum.  “It took the Navy from 1941 to 1944 to remove the 429 bodies from USS Oklahoma. It must have been agonizing to know your loved one was down there in that ship somewhere.”

The Navy will escort Tipton’s body from Omaha, Neb., to Memphis International Airport Wednesday.  Fears Family Funeral home will be awaiting his arrival and will then transport him from the airport to the funeral home in Pocahontas.

Visitation will be Thursday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the museum, located at 70 Beacon Road in Walnut Ridge.  Tipton’s remains will lay in repose, and family members will be on hand to greet visitors.

The memorial service will be held Friday at 10:00 a.m. in the museum, and Tipton will be laid to rest at the Opposition Cemetery near Ravenden.

The Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce has arranged for yellow ribbons to be displayed along the route to the cemetery.  From Wings of Honor Museum, the route to the funeral will be as follows:  Down Fulbright Ave. through the Williams Baptist University campus, left onto Hwy. 67, right onto Hwy. 67B and through Walnut Ridge, left onto Main Street, right onto 67B toward Hoxie, right onto 63B at Hoxie, right on Hwy. 63/412 to Ravenden, left at the main intersection in Ravenden (in front of Flash Market), left onto 1st street, and right onto Lawrence County Rd. 106 to Opposition Cemetery.

“We hope that our community will exhibit a lot of patriotism and come out to honor Mr. Tipton and support the family at this time,” Johnson said.  Residents are encouraged to line the processional route as a show of support and to wave American flags if they have them.

Tipton will be buried next to his mother in Opposition Cemetery.

For information concerning the visitation or memorial service contact: Harold Johnson, Wings of Honor WWII Museum, 800-584-5575 or harold@bscn.com.