Floyd Arthur Wells, b: April 18, 1917 d: December 7, 1941 Killed in action at Pearl Harbor:
Floyd was identified from my wife's mother's DNA and returned to North Dakota in 2019. He was reburied in the North Dakota Veterens Cemetery at Mandan, North Dakota.
Memorial ID 202927886
Other memorials:
Memorial ID 7918970 USS Arizona Memorial
Memorial ID 68331509 Cavalier Cemetery
Obituary from the Askew Funeral Home website:
Floyd Arthur Wells, a native son of North Dakota, made the ultimate sacrifice for our great nation by the giving his life during WWII.
Floyd was born at Cavalier, North Dakota, to Earl and Edna Wells on April 18, 1917, and grew up in the Fairdale (Walsh county) area along with his siblings, Clifford, Glenn, Howard, and Phyllis. Floyd enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1938, just a few years after graduating from high school in Fairdale. He served on the U.S.S. Arizona as a radioman until his death on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and he was killed in action.
Nearly 1200 sailors and marines on board the Arizona, many of whom are still entombed in the ship at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, were killed as a result of the attack. At the time, the Navy was unable to identify the remains of some of those recovered because of the severity of their wounds, and they were buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Although it was believed that Floyd went down with the ship, it was recently determined, based upon DNA and other historical evidence, that the previously unidentifiable remains of one sailor interred in the National Memorial Cemetery were that of Floyd Wells. His remains are being returned to North Dakota, where he will be buried among other brave military men and women at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery at Mandan, North Dakota, on October 1. 2019, at 1:00 p.m. with full military honors.
Not only was Floyd a patriot and a hero, he was an outstanding student and athlete during his years at Fairdale High School. He was awarded a scholarship to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota upon graduation from high school in recognition of his academic achievements. He was also considered a top-notch baseball and basketball player, according to his brothers and sister.
Floyd was also generous. Several months prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Floyd started sending money from his meager military pay to his brother Glenn so that Glenn could attend business college in Minneapolis. Unfortunately, this generous and selfless act was cut short by his death.
We all know that war is a terrible thing but is sometimes necessary, with much loss and suffering, often with the lives of young men like Floyd. Floyd was not able to enjoy the good life like the rest of us. Instead, answering the call to duty and service to this great country, Floyd and other members of his deceased military family gave their lives so the rest of us could live our dreams in a free and democratic society. He would be glad that we have not forgotten the sacrifices he and many others have made in service to the United States.
Floyd's parents and siblings are all deceased but the following nieces and nephews survive: Darlene Erichsen (Washington),Claire Corbett (Indiana), Mary Ellen Hickey (North Dakota), and Robert Wells (North Dakota),children of Clifford Wells; Curtis Wells, (Missouri), Gail Wells (North Dakota), Glenda Rouse (Iowa), Tom Wells (North Dakota), and Laurel Wells (Wisconsin), children of Glenn E. Wells; Floyd Wells (California), child of Howard Wells; and Ann Martin (North Dakota), Terry Reichert (North Dakota), Karen Cataldi (North Dakota), and Kristy Dornacker (North Dakota), children of Phyllis Wells Reichert. Also survived by his brother-in-law, Orval Reichert (North Dakota)
The family of Floyd Arthur Wells asks you to join with us in remembering and honoring him, as well as other veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country.
https://www.askewfuneralhome.com/notices/Floyd-Wells
Contributor: Neal L. Martin (263)
Floyd Arthur Wells was a radioman second class on the U.S.S. Arizona, he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. But in the confusion of World War II he was buried in Honolulu among the "unknowns" killed on the U.S.S. Oklahoma.
Most of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the Arizona went down with the ship and their remains were never recovered.
The Oklahoma suffered 429 casualties, with 388 of them lacking identification. Many of their bodies were recovered and buried in Honolulu. When the war ended, the military succeeded in identifying a few, but most remained unknown until 2015 when the government -- aided by DNA and other technology -- began a large-scale project to give names to the Oklahoma men.
One casket contained remains that did not match anyone from that battleship, which prompted researchers to broaden their scope. On June 17, 2019, they confirmed that the remains were those of Mr. Wells. He had survived the attack and was taken aboard a third battleship, the Tennessee. Badly burned, he died while being transferred to a hospital on shore. That, it appears, is when the confusion about his identity began.
His story ended back in North Dakota 81 years after he left home. Accompanied by Naval escorts and political dignitaries, his remains were flown there and buried Oct. 1, 2019, at the Veterans Cemetery at Mandan.
His parents and four siblings were all dead by then, but nieces and nephews honored his memory with an obituary and in interviews that described his life. He was born April 18, 1917, to Earl Wells, a railroad station agent, and Edna Larson Wells, a homemaker and Norwegian immigrant.
Floyd graduated from the high school in Fairdale, population 187, in 1934. He played baseball and basketball and was awarded an academic scholarship to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He enlisted in the Navy in April 1938 and went aboard the Arizona that Dec. 13. He sent part of his pay home so a younger brother, Glenn, could attend business college. Glenn went on to become sheriff for Pembina County, North Dakota.
"North Dakota boy, North Dakota soil," a nephew, Curtis Wells, told a reporter when Floyd Arthur Wells was brought home."He's going to get the recognition he deserves."
Sources: Walsh County (North Dakota) Record; the Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency; Askew (North Dakota) Funeral Home; CBS News; the Grand Forks (North Dakota) Herald; The Jamestown (North Dakota) Sun; Census; Navy muster roll. Navy photograph. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.
Contributor: USS Arizona Mall Memorial at University of Arizona (50022871)
Floyd was identified from my wife's mother's DNA and returned to North Dakota in 2019. He was reburied in the North Dakota Veterens Cemetery at Mandan, North Dakota.
Memorial ID 202927886
Other memorials:
Memorial ID 7918970 USS Arizona Memorial
Memorial ID 68331509 Cavalier Cemetery
Obituary from the Askew Funeral Home website:
Floyd Arthur Wells, a native son of North Dakota, made the ultimate sacrifice for our great nation by the giving his life during WWII.
Floyd was born at Cavalier, North Dakota, to Earl and Edna Wells on April 18, 1917, and grew up in the Fairdale (Walsh county) area along with his siblings, Clifford, Glenn, Howard, and Phyllis. Floyd enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1938, just a few years after graduating from high school in Fairdale. He served on the U.S.S. Arizona as a radioman until his death on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and he was killed in action.
Nearly 1200 sailors and marines on board the Arizona, many of whom are still entombed in the ship at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, were killed as a result of the attack. At the time, the Navy was unable to identify the remains of some of those recovered because of the severity of their wounds, and they were buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Although it was believed that Floyd went down with the ship, it was recently determined, based upon DNA and other historical evidence, that the previously unidentifiable remains of one sailor interred in the National Memorial Cemetery were that of Floyd Wells. His remains are being returned to North Dakota, where he will be buried among other brave military men and women at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery at Mandan, North Dakota, on October 1. 2019, at 1:00 p.m. with full military honors.
Not only was Floyd a patriot and a hero, he was an outstanding student and athlete during his years at Fairdale High School. He was awarded a scholarship to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota upon graduation from high school in recognition of his academic achievements. He was also considered a top-notch baseball and basketball player, according to his brothers and sister.
Floyd was also generous. Several months prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Floyd started sending money from his meager military pay to his brother Glenn so that Glenn could attend business college in Minneapolis. Unfortunately, this generous and selfless act was cut short by his death.
We all know that war is a terrible thing but is sometimes necessary, with much loss and suffering, often with the lives of young men like Floyd. Floyd was not able to enjoy the good life like the rest of us. Instead, answering the call to duty and service to this great country, Floyd and other members of his deceased military family gave their lives so the rest of us could live our dreams in a free and democratic society. He would be glad that we have not forgotten the sacrifices he and many others have made in service to the United States.
Floyd's parents and siblings are all deceased but the following nieces and nephews survive: Darlene Erichsen (Washington),Claire Corbett (Indiana), Mary Ellen Hickey (North Dakota), and Robert Wells (North Dakota),children of Clifford Wells; Curtis Wells, (Missouri), Gail Wells (North Dakota), Glenda Rouse (Iowa), Tom Wells (North Dakota), and Laurel Wells (Wisconsin), children of Glenn E. Wells; Floyd Wells (California), child of Howard Wells; and Ann Martin (North Dakota), Terry Reichert (North Dakota), Karen Cataldi (North Dakota), and Kristy Dornacker (North Dakota), children of Phyllis Wells Reichert. Also survived by his brother-in-law, Orval Reichert (North Dakota)
The family of Floyd Arthur Wells asks you to join with us in remembering and honoring him, as well as other veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country.
https://www.askewfuneralhome.com/notices/Floyd-Wells
Contributor: Neal L. Martin (263)
Floyd Arthur Wells was a radioman second class on the U.S.S. Arizona, he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. But in the confusion of World War II he was buried in Honolulu among the "unknowns" killed on the U.S.S. Oklahoma.
Most of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the Arizona went down with the ship and their remains were never recovered.
The Oklahoma suffered 429 casualties, with 388 of them lacking identification. Many of their bodies were recovered and buried in Honolulu. When the war ended, the military succeeded in identifying a few, but most remained unknown until 2015 when the government -- aided by DNA and other technology -- began a large-scale project to give names to the Oklahoma men.
One casket contained remains that did not match anyone from that battleship, which prompted researchers to broaden their scope. On June 17, 2019, they confirmed that the remains were those of Mr. Wells. He had survived the attack and was taken aboard a third battleship, the Tennessee. Badly burned, he died while being transferred to a hospital on shore. That, it appears, is when the confusion about his identity began.
His story ended back in North Dakota 81 years after he left home. Accompanied by Naval escorts and political dignitaries, his remains were flown there and buried Oct. 1, 2019, at the Veterans Cemetery at Mandan.
His parents and four siblings were all dead by then, but nieces and nephews honored his memory with an obituary and in interviews that described his life. He was born April 18, 1917, to Earl Wells, a railroad station agent, and Edna Larson Wells, a homemaker and Norwegian immigrant.
Floyd graduated from the high school in Fairdale, population 187, in 1934. He played baseball and basketball and was awarded an academic scholarship to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He enlisted in the Navy in April 1938 and went aboard the Arizona that Dec. 13. He sent part of his pay home so a younger brother, Glenn, could attend business college. Glenn went on to become sheriff for Pembina County, North Dakota.
"North Dakota boy, North Dakota soil," a nephew, Curtis Wells, told a reporter when Floyd Arthur Wells was brought home."He's going to get the recognition he deserves."
Sources: Walsh County (North Dakota) Record; the Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency; Askew (North Dakota) Funeral Home; CBS News; the Grand Forks (North Dakota) Herald; The Jamestown (North Dakota) Sun; Census; Navy muster roll. Navy photograph. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.
Contributor: USS Arizona Mall Memorial at University of Arizona (50022871)
Floyd Arthur Wells, b: April 18, 1917 d: December 7, 1941 Killed in action at Pearl Harbor:
Floyd was identified from my wife's mother's DNA and returned to North Dakota in 2019. He was reburied in the North Dakota Veterens Cemetery at Mandan, North Dakota.
Memorial ID 202927886
Other memorials:
Memorial ID 7918970 USS Arizona Memorial
Memorial ID 68331509 Cavalier Cemetery
Obituary from the Askew Funeral Home website:
Floyd Arthur Wells, a native son of North Dakota, made the ultimate sacrifice for our great nation by the giving his life during WWII.
Floyd was born at Cavalier, North Dakota, to Earl and Edna Wells on April 18, 1917, and grew up in the Fairdale (Walsh county) area along with his siblings, Clifford, Glenn, Howard, and Phyllis. Floyd enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1938, just a few years after graduating from high school in Fairdale. He served on the U.S.S. Arizona as a radioman until his death on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and he was killed in action.
Nearly 1200 sailors and marines on board the Arizona, many of whom are still entombed in the ship at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, were killed as a result of the attack. At the time, the Navy was unable to identify the remains of some of those recovered because of the severity of their wounds, and they were buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Although it was believed that Floyd went down with the ship, it was recently determined, based upon DNA and other historical evidence, that the previously unidentifiable remains of one sailor interred in the National Memorial Cemetery were that of Floyd Wells. His remains are being returned to North Dakota, where he will be buried among other brave military men and women at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery at Mandan, North Dakota, on October 1. 2019, at 1:00 p.m. with full military honors.
Not only was Floyd a patriot and a hero, he was an outstanding student and athlete during his years at Fairdale High School. He was awarded a scholarship to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota upon graduation from high school in recognition of his academic achievements. He was also considered a top-notch baseball and basketball player, according to his brothers and sister.
Floyd was also generous. Several months prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Floyd started sending money from his meager military pay to his brother Glenn so that Glenn could attend business college in Minneapolis. Unfortunately, this generous and selfless act was cut short by his death.
We all know that war is a terrible thing but is sometimes necessary, with much loss and suffering, often with the lives of young men like Floyd. Floyd was not able to enjoy the good life like the rest of us. Instead, answering the call to duty and service to this great country, Floyd and other members of his deceased military family gave their lives so the rest of us could live our dreams in a free and democratic society. He would be glad that we have not forgotten the sacrifices he and many others have made in service to the United States.
Floyd's parents and siblings are all deceased but the following nieces and nephews survive: Darlene Erichsen (Washington),Claire Corbett (Indiana), Mary Ellen Hickey (North Dakota), and Robert Wells (North Dakota),children of Clifford Wells; Curtis Wells, (Missouri), Gail Wells (North Dakota), Glenda Rouse (Iowa), Tom Wells (North Dakota), and Laurel Wells (Wisconsin), children of Glenn E. Wells; Floyd Wells (California), child of Howard Wells; and Ann Martin (North Dakota), Terry Reichert (North Dakota), Karen Cataldi (North Dakota), and Kristy Dornacker (North Dakota), children of Phyllis Wells Reichert. Also survived by his brother-in-law, Orval Reichert (North Dakota)
The family of Floyd Arthur Wells asks you to join with us in remembering and honoring him, as well as other veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country.
https://www.askewfuneralhome.com/notices/Floyd-Wells
Contributor: Neal L. Martin (263)
Floyd Arthur Wells was a radioman second class on the U.S.S. Arizona, he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. But in the confusion of World War II he was buried in Honolulu among the "unknowns" killed on the U.S.S. Oklahoma.
Most of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the Arizona went down with the ship and their remains were never recovered.
The Oklahoma suffered 429 casualties, with 388 of them lacking identification. Many of their bodies were recovered and buried in Honolulu. When the war ended, the military succeeded in identifying a few, but most remained unknown until 2015 when the government -- aided by DNA and other technology -- began a large-scale project to give names to the Oklahoma men.
One casket contained remains that did not match anyone from that battleship, which prompted researchers to broaden their scope. On June 17, 2019, they confirmed that the remains were those of Mr. Wells. He had survived the attack and was taken aboard a third battleship, the Tennessee. Badly burned, he died while being transferred to a hospital on shore. That, it appears, is when the confusion about his identity began.
His story ended back in North Dakota 81 years after he left home. Accompanied by Naval escorts and political dignitaries, his remains were flown there and buried Oct. 1, 2019, at the Veterans Cemetery at Mandan.
His parents and four siblings were all dead by then, but nieces and nephews honored his memory with an obituary and in interviews that described his life. He was born April 18, 1917, to Earl Wells, a railroad station agent, and Edna Larson Wells, a homemaker and Norwegian immigrant.
Floyd graduated from the high school in Fairdale, population 187, in 1934. He played baseball and basketball and was awarded an academic scholarship to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He enlisted in the Navy in April 1938 and went aboard the Arizona that Dec. 13. He sent part of his pay home so a younger brother, Glenn, could attend business college. Glenn went on to become sheriff for Pembina County, North Dakota.
"North Dakota boy, North Dakota soil," a nephew, Curtis Wells, told a reporter when Floyd Arthur Wells was brought home."He's going to get the recognition he deserves."
Sources: Walsh County (North Dakota) Record; the Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency; Askew (North Dakota) Funeral Home; CBS News; the Grand Forks (North Dakota) Herald; The Jamestown (North Dakota) Sun; Census; Navy muster roll. Navy photograph. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.
Contributor: USS Arizona Mall Memorial at University of Arizona (50022871)
Floyd was identified from my wife's mother's DNA and returned to North Dakota in 2019. He was reburied in the North Dakota Veterens Cemetery at Mandan, North Dakota.
Memorial ID 202927886
Other memorials:
Memorial ID 7918970 USS Arizona Memorial
Memorial ID 68331509 Cavalier Cemetery
Obituary from the Askew Funeral Home website:
Floyd Arthur Wells, a native son of North Dakota, made the ultimate sacrifice for our great nation by the giving his life during WWII.
Floyd was born at Cavalier, North Dakota, to Earl and Edna Wells on April 18, 1917, and grew up in the Fairdale (Walsh county) area along with his siblings, Clifford, Glenn, Howard, and Phyllis. Floyd enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1938, just a few years after graduating from high school in Fairdale. He served on the U.S.S. Arizona as a radioman until his death on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and he was killed in action.
Nearly 1200 sailors and marines on board the Arizona, many of whom are still entombed in the ship at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, were killed as a result of the attack. At the time, the Navy was unable to identify the remains of some of those recovered because of the severity of their wounds, and they were buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Although it was believed that Floyd went down with the ship, it was recently determined, based upon DNA and other historical evidence, that the previously unidentifiable remains of one sailor interred in the National Memorial Cemetery were that of Floyd Wells. His remains are being returned to North Dakota, where he will be buried among other brave military men and women at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery at Mandan, North Dakota, on October 1. 2019, at 1:00 p.m. with full military honors.
Not only was Floyd a patriot and a hero, he was an outstanding student and athlete during his years at Fairdale High School. He was awarded a scholarship to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota upon graduation from high school in recognition of his academic achievements. He was also considered a top-notch baseball and basketball player, according to his brothers and sister.
Floyd was also generous. Several months prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Floyd started sending money from his meager military pay to his brother Glenn so that Glenn could attend business college in Minneapolis. Unfortunately, this generous and selfless act was cut short by his death.
We all know that war is a terrible thing but is sometimes necessary, with much loss and suffering, often with the lives of young men like Floyd. Floyd was not able to enjoy the good life like the rest of us. Instead, answering the call to duty and service to this great country, Floyd and other members of his deceased military family gave their lives so the rest of us could live our dreams in a free and democratic society. He would be glad that we have not forgotten the sacrifices he and many others have made in service to the United States.
Floyd's parents and siblings are all deceased but the following nieces and nephews survive: Darlene Erichsen (Washington),Claire Corbett (Indiana), Mary Ellen Hickey (North Dakota), and Robert Wells (North Dakota),children of Clifford Wells; Curtis Wells, (Missouri), Gail Wells (North Dakota), Glenda Rouse (Iowa), Tom Wells (North Dakota), and Laurel Wells (Wisconsin), children of Glenn E. Wells; Floyd Wells (California), child of Howard Wells; and Ann Martin (North Dakota), Terry Reichert (North Dakota), Karen Cataldi (North Dakota), and Kristy Dornacker (North Dakota), children of Phyllis Wells Reichert. Also survived by his brother-in-law, Orval Reichert (North Dakota)
The family of Floyd Arthur Wells asks you to join with us in remembering and honoring him, as well as other veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country.
https://www.askewfuneralhome.com/notices/Floyd-Wells
Contributor: Neal L. Martin (263)
Floyd Arthur Wells was a radioman second class on the U.S.S. Arizona, he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. But in the confusion of World War II he was buried in Honolulu among the "unknowns" killed on the U.S.S. Oklahoma.
Most of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the Arizona went down with the ship and their remains were never recovered.
The Oklahoma suffered 429 casualties, with 388 of them lacking identification. Many of their bodies were recovered and buried in Honolulu. When the war ended, the military succeeded in identifying a few, but most remained unknown until 2015 when the government -- aided by DNA and other technology -- began a large-scale project to give names to the Oklahoma men.
One casket contained remains that did not match anyone from that battleship, which prompted researchers to broaden their scope. On June 17, 2019, they confirmed that the remains were those of Mr. Wells. He had survived the attack and was taken aboard a third battleship, the Tennessee. Badly burned, he died while being transferred to a hospital on shore. That, it appears, is when the confusion about his identity began.
His story ended back in North Dakota 81 years after he left home. Accompanied by Naval escorts and political dignitaries, his remains were flown there and buried Oct. 1, 2019, at the Veterans Cemetery at Mandan.
His parents and four siblings were all dead by then, but nieces and nephews honored his memory with an obituary and in interviews that described his life. He was born April 18, 1917, to Earl Wells, a railroad station agent, and Edna Larson Wells, a homemaker and Norwegian immigrant.
Floyd graduated from the high school in Fairdale, population 187, in 1934. He played baseball and basketball and was awarded an academic scholarship to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He enlisted in the Navy in April 1938 and went aboard the Arizona that Dec. 13. He sent part of his pay home so a younger brother, Glenn, could attend business college. Glenn went on to become sheriff for Pembina County, North Dakota.
"North Dakota boy, North Dakota soil," a nephew, Curtis Wells, told a reporter when Floyd Arthur Wells was brought home."He's going to get the recognition he deserves."
Sources: Walsh County (North Dakota) Record; the Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency; Askew (North Dakota) Funeral Home; CBS News; the Grand Forks (North Dakota) Herald; The Jamestown (North Dakota) Sun; Census; Navy muster roll. Navy photograph. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.
Contributor: USS Arizona Mall Memorial at University of Arizona (50022871)
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