Medal of Honor recipient with ties to Gainesville buried Thursday with full military honors

It may have taken a little time, but a World War II U.S. Navy seaman with ties to Gainesville was buried Thursday (Dec. 21, 2023) at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

The late James Richard Ward, a U.S. Navy Seaman First Class, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his gallant bravery during the Japanese attack on U.S. military forces on Dec. 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Ward was transported through the cemetery on a hearse-led caisson accompanied by the Old Guard and Navy Band. Four F/A-18 Super Hornets assigned to the “Gladiators” of Strike Fighter Squadron 106 performed a flyover at the beginning of the ceremony.

The firing party conducted three volleys of fire and casket bearers folded the American flag as a Navy Band bugler concluded the service with the traditional playing of taps. Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe Jr., director for strategic systems programs, presented the flag to the Ward family.

“We are grateful to the Navy and the persistence of all the numerous civilian and military personnel who were involved in the recovery and identification of James,” said Richard Hanna, Ward's nephew who lives in Gainesville. “Our family is honored to be able to finally bring James to Arlington National Cemetery, his deserved resting place. The attention to detail involved in his memorial from the first day we were notified, to the personnel assigned to our family’s needs, has been overwhelming.”

Ward, a native of Springfield, Ohio, received the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for valor, for his actions of valor that displayed his courage and comradeship by saving the lives of some of his shipmates at the expense of his own life, according to a press release by the U.S. Navy.

Ward was previously buried as an Unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii before his identification, according to the press release.

Ward was 20 when he died after the USS Oklahoma (BB37) was struck by a Japanese torpedoes at Pearl Harbor that led hundreds of sailors to dive overboard or climb up the hull during the 12 minutes it took for the battleship to roll onto its side in the shallow water, according to the press release.

Hundreds more inside the hull were plunged into darkness as their ship keeled over and filled with water and the order was given to abandon the ship, according to the press release.

Ward, a gun crewmember, used a flashlight and remained at his post to provide light for his shipmates escaping the doomed ship. He was one of 429 men who died aboard the Oklahoma that day, according to the press release.

Ranging in rank from seaman to rear admiral, a total of 16 men were awarded Medals of Honor related to events at Pearl Harbor. Ward’s medal was presented in March 1942 and mailed to his parents in Springfield, Ohio, with a letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, according to the release.

“The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Seaman First Class James Richard Ward, United States Navy, for conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and complete disregard of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. When it was seen that the USS Oklahoma (BB-37) was going to capsize and the order was given to abandon ship, Seaman First Class Ward remained in a turret holding the flashlight so the remainder of the turret crew could see to escape, thereby sacrificing his own life,” the letter stated.

Hannah, who attended the burial with other members of his family, said the burial will always stay in the hearts of family members.

“Today is one that will stay with our family. My mom and grandparents would be pleased with this honor of James,” Hanna said. “We should all honor those who have served and are serving at home and abroad.”

The escort ship USS J. Richard Ward, 1943-1972, was named in Ward’s honor. On Feb. 22, 2022, DPAA announced that on Aug. 19, 2021, that it had positively identified Ward’s remains. The Navy Casualty Office subsequently notified his family and arranged for his burial, in accordance with its wishes.

His were among the final sets of remains who  could be individually identified. A rosette now adorns his name in the Counts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, signifying that he has been accounted for, according to the press release.

Information from www.navy.mil was used in this article.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: James R. Ward died aboard USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941