On the recordMay 18, 2021
During Memorial Day weekend in my home community, a fleet of cars will depart a local funeral home and make the 25-mile trip to Merry Oaks United Methodist Church Cemetery in neighboring Smiths Grove, KY. This will be the final leg of a journey that began over 6,000 miles and nearly 80 years ago. U.S. Navy Seaman 2nd Class Howard Scott Magers was one of the 429 crew members who perished aboard the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941. Scott was 18 years old. The tragedy of his death was made ore unbearable because he was buried in a mass grave alongside those of his shipmates who were also unable to be identified. Thankfully, beginning in 2015, new dental, anthropological, and mitochondrial DNA analyses were employed to identify those who had fallen at Pearl Harbor. As a result, the remains of Scott Magers will soon return to beautiful Barren County, KY where he grew up. Among those welcoming him home will be Betty Magers, who was only 11 when Scott said his goodbyes to family and friends and headed to basic training. As on every Memorial Day, we want to honor those men and women who have lost their lives in the service of their country in our Armed Forces. But today, we remember one very specific young man, Howard Scott Magers, and, on behalf of all the other fallen, say to him, ``Welcome home. Fair winds and following seas.'' ____________________
