William Francis Hellstern of USS Oklahoma-- Part 2

William was missing, but he was not alone.  Navy personnel spent more than two years uprighting the USS Oklahoma before they could begin getting at the remains.  By that time it was difficult to do any identification.

The remains were buried together at the Halawa and Nu'uana cemeteries.

Those remains were later transferred to 46 plots at the National Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl.  In 2015, DPAA  started exhuming the remains for analysis using DNA.

Ted Hummel said that he had first been contacted by the DPAA about five and a half years ago.  Hummel provided them with his DNA, some of his mother's from her locket of hair from the family Bible.

They identified his uncle.

William Francis Hellstern was buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Wheat Ridge next to his sister, Ted's mother.  Hellstern also has a marker in Illinois, but the family decided to bury his with his sister.

Again, What a Great Thing the Government Is Doing.  --GreGen

Gunner's Mate 2nd Class William Francis Hellstern, One of USS Oklahoma's Unknowns-- Part 1

From the May 18, 2018, 9 News NBC, Colorado "Missing sailor killed at Pearl Harbor brought home after 76 years" by Noel Brennan.

Years ago, before she passed away, Ted Hummell's mother, Jeanne, cut off a piece of her hair and placed it in her Bible next to locks of hair from her siblings.  One of those locks of hair belonged to Ted's uncle, Gunner's Mate 2nd Class William Francis Hellstern, a man Ted never got to meet because he died on the USS Oklahoma that day in 1941.

The 20-year-old from Peoria, Illinois, never made it off his ship.

Letters were sent from the Navy to the family afterwards.  On December 20, 1941,  Rear Admiral  Randall Jacobs, wrote:

"The Navy Department deeply regrets to inform you that your son, William Francis Hellstern, Gunner's Mate 2nd Class, U.S. Navy, is missing following action in performance of his duty and in the service of his country."

Another from February 1942, began, "After exhaustive search it has been found impossible to locate your son."

--GreGen

Five Illinois Unknowns on USS Oklahoma Identified

The Pearl Harbor National Memorial list of the Oklahoma Unknowns who have been identified has a lot of their home towns and states also listed.

These are the ones from Illinois:

Fireman 1st Class Michael Galajdik, 25,  of Joliet, Illinois

Gunner's Mate 2nd Class   William Francis Hellstern, 20, of Peoria, Illinois

Fireman 3rd Class John H. Lindsley, 22,  of Waukegan, Illinois'

Signalman 3rd Class Charles E, Nix, 26, of Danville, Illinois

Seaman 1st Class Harold W. Roasch, 25, of Rockford, Illinois

--GreGen