George Coke Jr.'s goodbye took longer than most. On Saturday the Navy veteran was laid to rest in his hometown of Arlington Texas, more than 75 years after he was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
"I never held a funeral service for somebody that died before I was born," Reverent David Mosser of the First United Methodist Church in Arlington told the congregation that gathered for Coke's funeral. "I would say we're here to do important work, which is to remember."
Coke was born in Arlington. He was remembered as a natural athlete with a natural smile, good humor, and mischievous.
"He had his problems like the rest of us," Arlington High School classmate Doland Maner said. "He spent his time in the principal's office, just like the rest of us."
Coke graduated high school early so he could join the Navy in 1941. He was 18-years old, stationed on the U.S.S. Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. Coke was killed.
"I know that he would have fought the damage," said Rear Admiral Doug Beale at Coke's funeral. "He would have done his duty and gone down swinging."
Coke's remains were unidentified until this year. A DNA sample from a great nephew helped identify the sailor and bring him home, decades after he left.
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"Seaman Coke, we are grateful for your service, we are grateful for your sacrifice, we are glad that you have returned to Arlington to be home," Beale said.
Coke was buried with full military honors at Parkdale Cemetery in Arlington, next to his parents. His gravestone has been there for decades waiting for him.
The flag from his coffin was given to a great nephew whose DNA helped identify the sailor and bring him home.
