E.L.M. Earl Leroy Morrison Identification Case

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Official "Operation 85" Case for Identification of Unknown x-51

This page presents the complete identification case for Unknown X-51, the set of remains believed to belong to Seaman First Class Earl Leroy Morrison, USS Arizona, killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Drawing from official Navy and Graves Registration documents, survivor testimony, personal effects—including a cigarette case marked “E.L.M.”—genealogical analysis, and DNA Family Reference Samples now held by AFDIL, Operation 85 has compiled the first unified evidence package demonstrating a probable identification. The Morrison family has formally requested disinterment and DNA testing under Department of War policy to finally restore Earl’s name after 84 years.

Names and identifying information from Surviving Family members have been removed or redacted from this online version of the report to protect the family member’s Privacy.

ALL Media Requests MUST be done through “Operation 85” by emailing: press@ussarizona.navy
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT FAMILY MEMBERS

Family’s Formal Request

The Honorable Sean O’Keefe
Under Secretary of War for Personnel & Readiness
Pentagon
Washington DC 20350-1000

Thursday December 11, 2025

Subject: Request for Disinterment and DNA Identification of Unknown Grave Associated with Seaman First Class Earl Leroy Morrison (U.S.S. Arizona)

September 1, 2025
Dear Secretary:
We write to you today as the surviving family members of Seaman First Class Earl Leroy Morrison, United States Navy, who was killed aboard the U.S.S. Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Earl was twenty years old, full of promise and purpose, preparing to marry the love of his life, and dedicated to a Navy career he hoped would make his family proud. His life was cut short in an instant, his remains never returned to his mother, Anna Morrison, or to the home he left behind in Sidney, Montana.
For over eighty years, our family has carried the burden of uncertainty and loss, never having the chance to properly lay Earl to rest. However, after careful review of official records, personal effects, and historical documents, it is very evident that the remains currently interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, marked as “Unknown X-51” under grave Q1147, bear an overwhelming likelihood of being our Earl.
At the time of recovery in 1942, a personal cigarette case inscribed with the initials “E.L.M.” — matching Earl’s — was found with the remains and was documented by Lt. Commander Samuel G. Fuqua, a decorated and trusted survivor of the USS Arizona. Over multiple reburials, those initials followed the remains, preserved on paperwork and grave markers. The estimated age at death matches Earl’s age precisely, and there are no inconsistencies between his known dental history and the condition of the remains. Moreover, testimony from USS Arizona survivors and independent investigations conducted in recent years have both pointed directly to Earl Leroy Morrison as the most probable identity of the Unknown resting in Q1147.
Despite this substantial evidence, his remains have never been tested using modern DNA techniques — technology that was unimaginable when he first fell, but today offers a conclusive path to restore his name.
We humbly and urgently request the United States Navy and the Department of Defense to authorize the disinterment and DNA analysis of the remains associated with “Unknown X-51.” Our request is not made lightly. It is made out of duty — to a young man who gave everything for his country, and to a grieving family who has waited through generations to bring him home.
With the assistance of “Operation 85”, our family has provided DNA Family Reference Samples through the US Navy Casualty Office, and we are willing to assist in any way required to facilitate this process. We respectfully urge you to act now, while the opportunity still exists to complete this mission.
With the recent announcement this January of the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab (AFDIL) now accepting autosomal SNP DNA, and the use of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) along with other tools now accessible to AFDIL, should the remains of “Unknown X-51” not be Earl Morrison, an identification of the unknown would almost be certain using the technology and methods now available to AFDIL.
Every fallen service member deserves the dignity of being named and known. Earl was never unknown to us. He has lived in our family’s memories, in our stories, and in the quiet prayers we offer each Memorial Day and every December 7th. All we ask is for the opportunity to finally see his sacrifice honored in full, with his identity restored.
After more than eight decades, we believe it is not only possible — it is right. Again, we request immediate disinterment and full DNA testing of all remains associated with Unknown X-51.
Thank you for your consideration and for your continued service in honoring our Nation’s Promise. We place our trust in you to help us finish the journey home for Earl Leroy Morrison.
Sincerely,
(Original Letter Signed by 5 members of the Earl Morrison Family)
*Names redacted for privacy

Executive Summary

This report presents compelling circumstantial evidence that the remains designated as “Unknown X-51,” currently interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, are those of Seaman First Class Earl Leroy Morrison, U.S. Navy, a casualty of the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941. A cigarette case marked “E.L.M.” was recovered alongside the remains and identified by Lt. Commander Samuel G. Fuqua, the senior surviving officer of the Arizona, lending powerful credibility to the association with Morrison. Throughout multiple disinterments and reinterments from 1942 to 1949, the initials “E.L.M.” consistently remained attached to these remains in both grave markers and Navy administrative records, preserving a strong chain of custody. The estimated age at death, approximately 20 years, perfectly matches Morrison’s age at the time of the attack. His recorded moderate overbite is evident in surviving photographs, further aligning physical traits. Dental evidence, while limited due to severe fire damage, does not exclude Morrison. His enlistment medical records noted a false left front tooth, a detail also independently confirmed through personal correspondence. Although the remaining teeth associated with Unknown X-51 were badly charred, no evidence exists to rule out Morrison, and some discrepancies in documentation appear more attributable to administrative errors rather than substantive contradictions. Eyewitness accounts and expert opinions strongly reinforce this conclusion. USS Arizona survivor Victor Vlach, in a public letter, asserted that only one casualty matched the initials “E.L.M.” — Earl Leroy Morrison from Sidney, Montana. Separately, retired JPAC investigator Rick D. Stone, after his 2012 analysis, identified Morrison as the “most likely match” for Unknown X-51. The condition of the remains—severely burned and fragmented—aligns with the devastation experienced on the decks of the Arizona, where Morrison would have been stationed as a bugler. Gaps and inconsistencies in the historical record, including missing dental charts and conflicting paperwork, complicate a formal identification but do not meaningfully undermine the overwhelming circumstantial case linking Morrison to these remains. Based on the weight of historical documentation, personal effects, physical characteristics, expert analysis, and survivor testimony, the evidence overwhelmingly supports the conclusion that Unknown X-51 is Earl Leroy Morrison. Immediate DNA testing of all remains associated with “E.L.M.” is strongly recommended to confirm the identification. After more than eight decades, the technology now exists to resolve his case definitively. Completing this identification honors a solemn obligation to Morrison’s family and to all who served, ensuring that Earl Leroy Morrison’s name can be properly restored to his final resting place. Surviving Family members have been aware of these findings for over a decade and have tried to bring this to the attention of the Navy and JPAC with no response. Four family members have contributed DNA Family Reference Samples to AFDIL through Operation 85 (2 mtDNA and 2 Y DNA).

Identification Outline of Unknown X-51

Earl Leroy Morrison was good-looking, with a wide smile that reached all the way to his eyes. His special girl Betty had agreed to be his wife, but he was making her wait. He wanted to prove he was worth something first. That something was more than just a U.S. Navy seaman first class with an expert marksman rating. Maybe it would be musical as a “boogie-woogie bugle boy”—he was the best in his whole Navy training class. Maybe it would be as career military, his interest in strategy was promising as he observed the concentration of ships crowding

In late summer, 1941, Earl Leroy Morrison provided two photographs at his mother’s request. Anna wanted them to accompany newspaper articles about her son’s promotion and award. They were used instead in coverage of his tragic fate (“Memorial Service Held Sunday for Earl Leroy Morrison,” The Sidney Herald [Sidney, Montana], 11 January 1942, page 4, column 1).

All that he was and what he might have become was incinerated in a flash on the deck of the USS Arizona the morning of December 7th, 1941. Eight decades later, his family still yearns for the rest of his story.

Rank: Seaman 1st Class
Serial No: 368-48-32
Branch: US Navy
Home Town:Sidney, Montana
Date of Birth:June 5, 1921
Height: 5'-7 3/4" at time of enlistment in 1940
Age:20
Disposition:Unrecovered

For eighty-four years, Navy personnel and civilian contractors cared enough to repeatedly associate the initials “E.L.M.” with a sailor’s crushed and burned remains. In January 1942 when he was first buried, paperwork stated a cigarette case with “E.L.M.” scratched on its surface belonged to the mangled skeleton. This note was signed by S.G. Fuqua, Lt. Commander, U.S.S. Arizona, the senior officer to survive the attack, who heroically remained on the doomed vessel, helping countless injured and dying men. Fuqua clearly believed that this had been the Montana boy, sailor first class Earl Leroy Morrison, who excelled as a bugler and whose station would have been on deck the morning of December 7th, 1941

Photo of Earl Leroy Morrison circa 1940 at time of enlistment, courtesy of family. Department of the Army, United States of America, Individual Deceased Personnel File, Morrison, Earl L, 3684832, JPAC Incident 86, USS Arizona, killed in action, identification of body recovered from Arizona, note signed by S.G. Fuqua, Lt. Comdr. USN, no date but prior to 4 January 1942, date of burial.

Twice more Earl Leroy Morrison’s remains were moved, and each time “E.L.M.” was either kept on the paperwork or scratched onto the Unknown’s grave marker. Key information like dental charts was inexplicably unavailable to the examiners. Despite Lt. Comdr. Fuqua’s assertion, no identification was made or shared with the anxious family.

E.L.M Unidentified X-51 Timeline

Dec 7, 1941

Earl killed aboard USS Arizona.

Jan 4, 1942

First burial at Halawa Naval Cemetery.

Sep 19, 1947

Disinterred.

Oct 15, 1947

Reinterred at Halawa.

Oct 12, 1948

Again disinterred.

Oct 25, 1948

Reburied Halawa.

Apr 25, 1949

Remains prepared/placed in casket.

Jun 14, 1949

Final burial Q1147, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

The above burial, disinterment, and reinterment chart shows that the “E.L.M.” associated remains were buried together less than a month after the attack. They were re-examined in Fall of 1947 and again in Fall of 1948. Curiously, there is mention of placing prepared remains in a casket in April 1949 and burying them about eight weeks later. Where did the remains placed in the casket come from? Potentially portions of the full remains were not reinterred in 1948, and those kept out were placed in a separate casket. Navy paperwork for Earl Leroy Morrison and E.L.M. remains examinations are not inconsistent with this being one sailor. Mention is made in the unnumbered page of Board Proceedings Number 2436, discussing AGRS-PAZ Case No. 297, that there is a minor discrepancy in name between Form 371 and Casualty List.” This apparently refers to the lack of a capital R in LeRoy in one place and its presence in others. The sailor spelled it with a small “r” in his enlistment documents. It’s a difference that is no difference.

Remains Associated and Recovered Bone fragments present, all badly charred

Black out parts of body not recovered (maxilla teeth noted elsewhere omitted from this diagram) Department of the Army, United States of America, Individual Deceased Personnel File, Morrison, Earl L, 3684832, JPAC Incident 86, USS Arizona, killed in action. Form dated on or after 18 March 1947.

Few if any of the considerable number of bones recovered as E.L.M. were intact. The diagram suggests either crushing injury that fractured the surviving bones, or friability from intense heat creating cracks in the bones. The pubic symphysis was not too damaged to allow an age estimation of twenty years plus. Earl, born in June 1921, was about twenty and a half years old. The examiner(s) did not provide a height estimate which might have been attempted from any of the surviving long bones if they were sufficiently intact.

Special Consideration of Teeth & Skeletal Evidence

Earl’s false left front tooth (#9) documented in enlistment + personal letter.
Moderate overbite visible in photos.
Charred remains had six upper jaw teeth but records inconsistent.
Skeletal remains severely burned but pubic symphysis age estimation = 20 yrs, matches Earl.

Dental & Skeletal Evidence

Earl Leroy Morrison
Earl’s teeth at time of enlistment and those of the E.L.M. remains have no exclusions that preclude them being identical. In Earl Leroy Morrison’s 26 April 1940 Physical Examination NRB Form 10, his dental chart is unmarked. This didn’t necessarily mean the candidate had perfect teeth. Likely it and hundreds of others’ charts marked that way meant the teeth were “good enough.” To indicate missing teeth, the key says an X should be used. No Xs are present for E.L.M.

In the notes of Earl’s enlistment physical exam of April 26, 1940, is entered “# 9 false.” Number nine is the sailor’s left front tooth. That he had a false tooth is independently confirmed.

In a letter to his mother dated 23 July 1941, E.L.M. said “I got my false tooth knocked out the other day and it cost me five bucks to have it fixed And then he got it in crooked.” Earl was a talented bugler who likely needed all his teeth to make a true sound.

Earl’s step-father was a nationally recognized dentist and Earl’s mother was briefly a dental technician. It is possible that Dr. I.J. Peterson’s practice (which he closed about 1963) might have had records of Earl’s pre-1941 care.

Earl’s 26 April 1940 Physical Examination had another descriptive remark pertaining to his teeth: “Moderate overbite.” This is is fairly evident in the photo of Earl on page 1.

UNK X-51

The 293 file sheet shows the Dental Chart as “NOT AVAILABLE” in a document dated 5 January 1949. It is possible that the E.L.M. remains that included six teeth were separated at this time. Form 1044a includes a tooth chart for UNK. X-51 (E.L.M. remains) whose only dental chart items include six teeth in the right side of his maxilla (upper jaw), beginning with the front tooth. A further entry in REMARKS says “1. There are some teeth present but they are so badly burnt and charred that it is difficult to say anything definite.” These burnt teeth did not include the left front tooth, so this does not exclude or include Earl.

Oddly, in the associated form 1044b filled out by Capt. O.W. Greenwood, it states “NO TEETH PRESENT.” This is in direct conflict with the front page (1044a) and as suggested previously, the teeth perhaps became separated from the other E.L.M. remains.

Substantial fragments of the E.L.M. skeletal remains survived. On form Central Identification Laboratory Bone List filled out for Unknown X-51 by Dr. Mildred Trotter, this famous anthropologist made an exacting list including the Skull “Missing – portion of frontal, temporal, mandible, parietals and occipital. Fractured and charred.” The maxilla is not described and no teeth are noted. Other inventories included many disassociated pieces all associated with the USS Arizona and interred in commingled graves. E.L.M. remains may not be in only one grave.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATION OF SKELETAL CONDITIONS
Earl Leroy Morrison

At his enlistment physical exam in 1940, Earl Leroy Morrison’s chart reflected seven conditions, three of which dealt with bones and may or may not have survived the fire. First, the “moderate overbite” might be confirmed if the described maxilla with six attached teeth could be located. Second, he had a bone spur on his right foot/ankle. Third, there was something notable about the arches on both feet.

Eyewitness Testimony

Earl’s Location Had Been Known For Years

Earl’s shipmates did not give up trying to send him home. In 2000, survivor Quartermaster Victor Vlach wrote an open letter to Sidney, Montana’s police chief. Victor relayed the story of E.L.M. and indicated only one Pearl Harbor unidentified casualty had those initials, Sidney’s own Earl Leroy Morrison. Victor had seen Anna Morrison’s 1942 plea for information about her son, Earl. Anna had died in 1991, but the police chief gave the letter to surviving relatives. Victor described how initials routinely placed inside clothing could point to an identity. He said only the next of kin could compel exhumation. It was his opinion that E.L.M. was buried in Q1147 and that new DNA evidence could resolve the identity. In August 2012, JPAC investigator Rick D. Stone, after considerable research into Pearl Harbor casualties, independently determined that “the only ‘Most Likely Match’” for the E.L.M. remains was Earl Leroy Morrison. If this Unknown has viable DNA, an identification can be conclusively confirmed or corrected with today’s methods. All bones associated with the E.L.M. burial should be tested with the expectation that it is Earl Leroy Morrison. The DNA will never be more viable than it is today. Eighty-four years is long enough to wait.

1.) NBC Investigations summary, 2013) Standing beside one marker, Stone says its occupant isn’t unknown to him. He is 100 percent sure this is the grave of Earl Leroy Morrison, who was killed on the in Pearl Harbor. Source: HotAir summary of NBC Investigations (3 August 2013) contains direct link to the NBC News article. Link: https://hotair.com/jazz-shaw/2013/08/03/pentagon-agency-accused-of-refusing-to-id-honored-dead-of-ww2.

2.) Chief Rick Stone & Family Charitable Foundation Foundation page(s) describe Stone s 2012 JPAC investigation concluding that S1c Earl Leroy Morrison was the only Most Likely Match to Halawa Unknown X-51 at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl). Source: In Memoriam page & Ask the Chief forum (site content referencing X-51 and Morrison). Link: https://www.chiefrickstone.com/ (See In Memoriam and Ask the Chief).

EYE WITNESS ACCOUNT FROM USS ARIZONA SURVIVOR

Determining the Primary Next of Kin (PNOK)

as of August 19, 2025 for Earl Leroy Morrison, S1c, Died 7 December 1941.

Earl Leroy Morrison was not under guardianship at the time of his death.
Earl Leroy Morrison was engaged but not married at the time of his death. He had not been previously married and/or divorced.
Earl Leroy Morrison had no children, biological or adopted.
Earl Leroy Morrison’s father died 18 April 1927 of tuberculosis (Montana Death Records, Richland County, 1927 certificate no. 804, Earl Morrison)
Earl Leroy Morrison’s mother died in 1991 (obituary “Anna M. Peterson” The Billings Gazette [Billings, Montana], 3 March 1911, page 10.)
Earl Leroy Morrison had a step-father who died in 1965 and was not in the PNOK line of succession.
Earl Leroy Morrison never had a step-mother.
Earl Leroy Morrison had five full siblings who were eligible in birth order, eldest first. Thus:
• Ruby Morrison, born 1916 and died 1917 (infant died of tuberculosis, no issue)
• Leon Inar Morrison, born 1917 and died 1976 (gravestone)
• Gordon Hugh Morrison, born 1919 and died 2000 (gravestone)
• twins born 1925 Alice May Morrison, died 2017 (“Alice Mae Loman,” The Idaho Statesman (Boise, Idaho), 22 March 2017, page A11) and Inez Margarethe Morrison, died 1954 (“Hemorrhage Is Fatal to Resident,” The Billings Gazette, 26 June 1954, page 2).

Earl Leroy Morrison had maternal half-siblings, Dr. Ivan Peterson, born in 1933, and Delores Ann Lauren Peterson born in 1937, both of whom are deceased and subordinate to all the full siblings.
In the absence of a living guardian, spouse, child (or child’s descendant), parents, or siblings, the next eligible category is living niece or nephew.

Only three of Earl Leroy Morrison’s siblings had children. In order of age living nieces and nephews of Earl Leroy Morrison include:

SURVIVING FAMILY NAMES AND IDENTITIES HAVE BEEN REDACTED FOR PRIVACY

Genealogical Determination of two Y DNA and two mtDNA Family Reference Samples

as of August 25, 2025 for Earl Leroy Morrison, S1c, Died 7 December 1941.

Four appropriate family members have voluntarily provided DNA to AFDIL to be used as Family Reference Samples for Earl Leroy Morrison. They are as follows:

ALL SURVIVING AND PARTICIPATING FAMILY MEMBERS NAMES HAVE BEEN REDACTED FOR PRIVACY

All four of these test takers can also provide relationships through autosomal DNA as nieces, nephew, or second cousin as described above. Each of these four volunteers have been documented as to these stated relationships and have made statements supporting these stated relationships at the time of their DNA submissions.

Attested to 25 August 2025 by
Melinde Lutz Byrne
Fellow, American Society of Genealogists
Fellow, National Genealogy Society
Board certified genealogist, 2010-2025

Legal Basis for Requesting Disinterment of USS Arizona Unknowns

The families of the U.S.S. Arizona crewmen interred as “Unknowns” in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) have a clear legal right to request disinterment when credible evidence exists to support probable identification. Under 32 C.F.R. § 553.25, disinterment from a Department of the Army-administered cemetery—including group burials—may be authorized when the responsible accounting agency (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency or, in the case of Navy losses, the Navy POW/MIA Branch) determines that modern identification methods, combined with historical, genealogical, and forensic evidence, make identification feasible. The regulation requires submission of a written request with supporting evidence, confirmation that all living close relatives have been notified, and a plan for identification and re-interment.
Further, 38 C.F.R. § 38.621, governing VA-administered cemeteries such as the Punchbowl, provides that disinterment may be approved upon receipt of notarized consent from all living immediate family members and the individual who authorized the original interment—or pursuant to a court order—provided the request is made without expense to the U.S. Government. This regulation applies directly to the U.S.S. Arizona Unknowns and gives the families statutory standing to initiate the process.
In addition, DoD Instruction 1300.29 (June 28, 2021) establishes Department-wide policy for disinterring unknown remains from past conflicts. It delegates authority to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower & Reserve Affairs to approve such requests and directs DPAA to proceed when identification is likely, supported by available records and family reference DNA. The Instruction emphasizes coordination with Service Casualty Offices and requires that disinterments be carried out in compliance with both DoD and service-specific protocols.
Finally, DoD Directive 5110.10 affirms DPAA’s mandate to account for unaccounted-for U.S. personnel and to recommend disinterments when warranted by evidence. These provisions, read together, confirm that when families—supported by organizations such as Operation 85—can present complete genealogical documentation, dental and personnel records, and DNA reference samples demonstrating a high probability of identification, the relevant authorities have both the legal authority and the procedural framework to approve and execute disinterment.
Operation 85’s compiled records, which include board-certified genealogical reports for every missing USS Arizona crew member, hundreds of completed DNA family reference samples, and organized service and dental files, meet and exceed the evidentiary standard contemplated under these statutes and policies. Under the law, this body of evidence obligates the government to give serious and timely consideration to the families’ disinterment request.

Conclusion & Call to Action

The evidence in this packet establishes a clear, well-documented chain from the remains interred as Unknown X-51 to the identity of Seaman First Class Earl Leroy Morrison, USS Arizona.
• Personal effects: A cigarette case engraved “E.L.M.” was recovered with these remains and documented by Lt. Cmdr. Samuel G. Fuqua; that identifier persisted through multiple reburials, preserving the association with Morrison.

• Independent corroboration: Survivor Victor Vlach identified the initials with Earl L. Morrison of Sidney, Montana; a 2012 JPAC analysis by Rick D. Stone likewise concluded Morrison is the most likely match.

• Physical/dental consistency: Morrison’s age, documented moderate overbite, and historical notes regarding a false #9 tooth align with the limited, fire-affected dentition reported for X-51; critically, no dental or anthropological findings exclude Morrison.

• Documentary chain: Navy/Graves Registration records trace X-51 through every disinterment and reinterment with the E.L.M. linkage intact.

• DNA readiness: Family Reference Samples (FRS) from qualified relatives are on file with AFDIL, enabling immediate confirmation or in the event of exclusion, AFDIL, as of January 2025, now has new technology to assist in confirming the identity.

The family’s right to request disinterment is firmly grounded in law and regulation: 38 C.F.R. § 38.621 (VA national cemeteries: consent or court-order path), 32 C.F.R. § 553.25 (DoD cemetery disinterments, including group/commingled standards), DoD Instruction 1300.29 (policy framework for unknown disinterments), and DoD Directive 5110.10 (DPAA mandate to recommend action when identification is feasible). The evidentiary threshold contemplated by these authorities has been met.
Further delay serves no legitimate purpose. This request does not disturb the sunken ship or the USS Arizona Memorial; it concerns remains recovered after the attack and interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. We respectfully urge immediate authorization to disinter Unknown X-51 and proceed with forensic testing so that Seaman First Class Earl Leroy Morrison can be honorably named and his headstone no longer read “Unknown.”

Kevin Kline
Executive Director
U.S.S. Arizona “Operation 85”
(Grandnephew of GM2c Robert Edwin Kline)

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