More than 80 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, one Maine sailor has finally been laid to rest. Stanley Willis Allen, of Bethel, was one of more than 400 who died aboard the USS Oklahoma, and until recently, one of the hundreds who had not been identified.
Allen was buried at Central Maine Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Augusta Tuesday afternoon.
Rear Admiral Mike Brown, who presided over the ceremony, says that although no one in attendance knew Allen personally, his accomplishments were enough to draw people in.
"We knew he was part of the greatest generation, we knew that he volunteered for the Navy, that he served honorably, and that he paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to his country," Brown said. "And those things are as meaningful in 2023 as they were in 1941, and why we had such a big turnout today."
Born in Bethel, Allen earned a bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, and worked at the Bethel Inn, the Kimball House in Northeast Harbor and the Bethel Restaurant.
In 1940, he travelled to Boston to enlist in the Naval Reserve, working his way up to become a naval aviator on the Oklahoma.
He would fly the planes that were responsible for scouting and helping the ship target long distance weapons.
There were 388 sailors from the Oklahoma who, like Allen, died in the attack and could not be identified. For decades, they were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
But in 2015, the Department of Defense announced the sailors would be exhumed for DNA analysis. After comparing to DNA from relatives, all but 32 were identified — including Allen.
Several members of Allen's extended family came to the Augusta ceremony. Jennifer Gelwick-Luecke, of Portland, whose great-grandmother was Allen's aunt, was unable to attend. She says her family had no knowledge of Allen or his death, but is thankful for the Navy's work in bringing him home.
"We're so honored and just relieved that he's been identified and he finally can be laid to rest," she said. "That's, that's a good feeling."
