Remains of Kentucky sailor killed during Pearl Harbor attack identified by DPAA by
Floyd Dee Helton was serving as Navy Seaman 2nd Class on the USS Oklahoma when he was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. (Helton family) SOMERSET, Ky. (Tribune News Service) — It’s a homecoming nearly 80 years in the making. On December 7, 1941, Floyd Dee Helton of Somerset was serving as Navy Seaman 2nd Class on the USS Oklahoma when the battleship, moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, was among those attacked by Japanese aircraft — ushering in the United States’ entry into World War II. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, causing it to capsize and resulting in the deaths of 429 crewmen — SEA2 Helton included. He was just 18.