THE OFFICIAL U.S.S. ARIZONA "OPERATION 85" GIFT SHOP is NOW OPEN!

THE OFFICIAL U.S.S. ARIZONA "OPERATION 85" GIFT SHOP is NOW OPEN
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Help Identify 85 Unknown Sailors & Marines from the U.S.S. Arizona

UNKNOWN NO MORE: Be a Part of ‘Operation 85’ – the U.S.S. Arizona’s Final Mission
FAMILY MEMBERS START HERE

December 7, 1941 — A Legacy Still Unfolding

"A date which will live in infamy"

Today, we stand on the brink of history. Thanks to modern technology, determined research, and the unwavering dedication of families and volunteers, we are within reach of identifying 85 or more U.S.S. Arizona crew members who were found near or removed from the ship after the attack and have laid in commingled graves at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, just 10 miles from Pearl Harbor. Their names have been listed as “Unknown” for over eight decades — but that is about to change. Our work will not disturb the sunken battleship or the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in any way. Instead, it will restore the identities of these heroes and remove the word “UNKNOWN” from their headstones, ensuring the final resting place of the entire U.S.S. Arizona crew.

Total Killed Aboard the U.S.S. Arizona
0
Total Crew Recovered & Identified
0
Total Crew Unrecovered from the U.S.S. Arizona
0
Last Update: July 4, 2025

AFDIL / NAVY / MARINES Project Numbers
(Reported Monthly)

Required Crew Members needed with DNA on file at AFDIL to begin Identification
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Number of crew for whom AFDIL holds family DNA reference samples.
0
% towards DoD "643" Threshold Goal
0 %

AFDIL Progress Tracking Report

Last Update: July 4, 2025

“Operation 85” Project Numbers
(Reported Daily)

Total Number of Family Members Participating
0
Number of Crew Members with Family Participating
0
% of Crew Represented Towards DoD Threshold Goal
0 %

OP85 Progress Tracking Report

“Operation 85” A Call For Help

Dear friends:

My name is Kevin Kline, and I am the Executive Director of the U.S.S. Arizona “Operation 85”. I am also the great nephew of GM2c Robert Edwin Kline USN, who was killed December 7, 1941 aboard the U.S.S. Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. My uncle’s remains, along with 1071 of his fellow shipmates, were never recovered.

Read More
Kevin Kline Operation 85

WATCH: How Operation 85 Started

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Be the first to get updates on the U.S.S. Arizona Unknowns, Operation 85’s progress and any new information about any government announcements on our project!

U.S.S. ARIZONA BB-39 CREW BIOS December 1941

In 2015, Bobbie Jo Buel from Tuzson, Arizona, started a project to research and write a biography about each crew member killed aboard the U.S.S. Arizona on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona. Her amazing work was completed just in time for the memorials opening and is being published and preserved on this website. As we meet and discover new family members during “Operation 85”, the task of telling these servicemen’s story will always be a “work in progress”. Please reach out if you have any information, pictures or documents to share about a particular service member aboard the U.S.S. Arizona.

VISIT THE CREW
Ted-Hampton-Jr-USS-Arizona
S1c Ted W. Hampton Jr.
Killed in Action - Remains Never Recovered
William-Hays
SK3c William Henry Hays
Killed in Action - Remains Never Recovered
R.E
GM2c Robert E. Kline
Killed in Action - Remains Never Recovered
William-Edward-Mann-USS-Arizona
Contact Info GM3c William E. Mann
Killed in Action - Remains Never Recovered
Noble-Harris
COX Nobel B. Harris
Killed in Action - Remains Never Recovered
George-Hollowell
COX George S. Hollowell
Killed in Action - Remains Never Recovered
Meet The U.S.S. ARIZONA BB-39 CREW

WATCH: The History of the USS Arizona Unknowns & “Operation 85”

News & Info about the U.S.S. Arizona BB-39 and "Operation 85"

Fathers who lost sons USS Arizona
Fathers of the Fallen: The Men Who Served After Losing Sons at Pearl Harbor
Written by: Bobbie Jo Buel When he heard that his brothers, Gordon and Malcolm, were killed in the attack...
Read More
Memorial Day 2025
When One Son Wasn’t the Only Loss: The Families Who Gave Everything at Pearl Harbor and Beyond
On this Memorial Day weekend we remember the men of the U.S.S. Arizona and their families, especially...
Read More
Orphan USS Arizona sailors
Before Pearl Harbor: The Orphaned and Grieving Boys Who Became U.S.S. Arizona Sailors
Long before Pearl Harbor, many of the U.S.S. Arizona’s crew had already faced devastating loss—growing...
Read More

Operation 85: Identifying Unknown U.S.S. Arizona Crew Members

The mission of “Operation 85” is to identify the “unknown” American service members from the U.S.S. Arizona buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hi.

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It all starts and stops here. We need a large family participation to make this opportunity a reality. And this window of opportunity is getting smaller and smaller with each generation that passes. Thank you to all the families that have already selflessly donated their DNA sample in an attempt to identify and match the unknown crew members.

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Museums, parks, schools, military and veterans associations, etc… are all getting on board to spread the word and help us to find the family members of the unknown U.S.S. Arizona crew members. You can be a partner simply by sharing this page on your social media or through email. Please help us bring these unknowns home.
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We’ve set a goal to acquire the minimum number of family member DNA samples required to have the DPAA announce the start of the “85 unknowns” identification process BY or BEFORE the 85th anniversary of the attack on Pear Harbor; December 7, 2026.
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For family members, providing your DNA sample is crucial to match the unknowns. We can’t do this without you. For non-family members, you can support our site and project by spreading the word on your social media and sending the website link to everyone on your email list. You can also buy a shirt or souvenir from our website store.

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Join the Mission: Help Resolve and Identify 85 or More of the USS Arizona Crew that have been left buried as UNKNOWN in Commingled Graves.

Family Members, your participation is Needed!
It’s Safe, Secure & Free of Charge! Be a part of this historical mission and the collective goal to remove “Unknown” from over 140 graves.

CLICK HERE for Family Member Submission Form
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This number represents the Department of Defense 60% threshold requirement for exhumation and identification of the U.S.S. Arizona unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. The Armed Forces DNA Identification LAB (AFDIL) must have a minimum of 643 of the missing 1,072 crew members (60%) with viable DNA Family Reference Samples (FRS) on file. Once this number has been met or exceeded, Operation 85 and its family members may formally request the DoD to begin identification of the unknowns.
This number represents the amount of missing U.S.S. Arizona crew members that have viable DNA Family Reference Samples (FRS) on file at the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab. (AFDIL) This number combines both the US Navy and the US Marine Corps service members.
This percentage represents the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory’s (AFDIL) verified progress in collecting and completing DNA Family Reference Samples (FRS) from relatives of the U.S.S. Arizona crew towards the DoD 60% threshold policy. The Department of Defense requires that at least 60% of the missing crew have DNA samples on file before it will authorize the exhumation and identification of the U.S.S. Arizona’s unknown service members. The number shown here tracks how close we are to reaching — or exceeding — that threshold.
This number represents the number of surviving family members that have signed up to participate with Operation 85. This number includes both viable Family Reference Sample (FRS) candidates and non-viable Family Reference Sample candidates (FRS). It reflects ALL family members that have chosen to support Operation 85’s efforts.
This number represents the number of crew members of the U.S.S. Arizona that Operation 85 has located a surviving family member, and who has agreed to contribute their DNA Family Reference Sample to the project to represent their family crew member. This is an internal number of Operation 85’s progress towards assisting the Navy & Marines with the DoD 60% threshold requirement policy. AFDIL must reach 643 completed before Operation 85 can request exhumation and identification of the U.S.S. Arizona unknowns.
This percentage number shows Operation 85’s progress of DNA Family Reference Samples needed to begin exhumation and identification of the U.S.S. Arizona unknowns. This is an internal number of Operation 85’s progress towards reaching the DoD Policy threshold. AFDIL must reach 643 crew members with DNA on file before Operation 85 can request exhumation and identification of the U.S.S. Arizona unknowns. The number shown here tracks how close we are to reaching — or exceeding — that threshold.
Kevin Kline Operation 85

“Operation 85” A Call For Help

Dear friends:
My name is Kevin Kline, and I am the Executive Director of the U.S.S. Arizona “Operation 85”. I am also the great nephew of GM2c Robert Edwin Kline USN, who was killed December 7, 1941 aboard the U.S.S. Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. My uncle’s remains, along with 1071 of his fellow shipmates, were never recovered.
“Operation 85” is a mission to identify through DNA, the 85 (or more) U.S.S. Arizona crew members, both U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps members, whose graves have been commingled, marked as “unknown” and buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hi. I am writing to you to ask for help with outreach and awareness as we try every effort we can to reach and locate other family members for this important undertaking. Help could be something as simple as just sharing this website on your social media or within a group email list.
Most people assume that all of the unrecovered crew are entombed within the U.S.S. Arizona and rest underneath the Arizona Memorial, but this is not true. There are multiple commingled graves 10 miles away from the ship marked simply as “Unknown USS Arizona”. Other WW2 ships recently have had very successful projects of matching DNA to the remains of family members for positive identification. However, one of the most iconic battleships in naval history, continues to be pushed aside and overlooked. Why?
As director of this volunteer, civilian endeavor, we are working hand in hand with the United States Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the National Park Service, the US Navy & Marine Corps Casualty Office and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner’s System. However, the effort for outreach and awareness to meet the threshold for family DNA participation has fallen directly on the family members. Our goal is to find other family members of the 1072 unrecovered U.S.S. Arizona crew members, so they can provide a family DNA sample to the Armed Forces Medical Examiners System and ultimately help identify the unknowns.
Your assistance could help change the trajectory of this mission’s outcome, and help accelerate the removal of the word “unknown” from these past American heroes. It’s time to bring these American service member’s home!
Again, simply sharing this website could result in another family member seeing it and coming forward to help identify another hero of the U.S.S. Arizona.
I hope you’ll continue to share our message and our success, as we work together to identify the “unknowns” of the most iconic battleship in naval history, the U.S.S. Arizona BB-39.
Sincerely yours,

Kevin D. Kline
Executive Director
The U.S.S. Arizona “Operation 85”