It lasted less than 30 seconds but it’s a memory those who saw it say will last a lifetime.
It’s the least we can do for him,” said Karen Franklin of Mt. Airy. She and her family were among dozens who lined the highway in Habersham to pay their last respects to U.S. Navy Seaman 2nd Class Frank Wood.
Wood was killed along with some 428 other sailors aboard the USS Oklahoma when it was bombed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He was just 25 years old.
For 76 years his remains went unidentified in a grave in Honolulu. Last year the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified him through DNA analysis and dental records.
Today, the young Navy Seaman made his final journey home.
Originally from Jackson, Ohio, Wood will be laid to rest Saturday in Franklin, North Carolina, where his nearest relatives now live. He’ll be buried with full military honors.
Law enforcement and emergency personnel from each jurisdiction his hearse passed through escorted the young sailor. It was a moving tribute to his service and sacrifice.
Now Habersham livestreamed the processional from the Tom Arrendale Interchange at GA 15/US 441 in Mt. Airy.
We’ll have more on local reaction to this story later here on Now Habersham.
