Trio Killed at Pearl Harbor Recently Identified

From the November 2, 2022, Stars and Stripes "Service members recently identified from past conflicts include trio killed at Pearl Harbor."

At least five service members  were accounted for last month by the Defense Department agency tasked with recovering U.S. troops listed as missing in action or prisoners of war.

Three of those identified by the Hawaii-based Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) were killed at Pearl Harbor in World War II and two fought in Korea.

All three Pearl Harbor men were on Battleship Row on December 7, 1941.  

Edward Conway, an electrician's mate from Auburn, Illinois, was on the USS Oklahoma.  His remains were identified  on October 1.

Floyd Clifford was a machinist mate from Mulvane, Kansas,  who also was killed on the Oklahoma.

Keith Tipsword, a machinist mate from Moccasin, Illinois, was on board the battleship USS West Virginia.

Their remains were identified July 12 and Septrmber 27, respectively.

I will have the two from Korea in my Cooter's History Thing blog today.

--GreGen

Sailor Killed on USS Oklahoma to be Buried with Full Military Honors: Beoin Corzatt

A native of Ohio, Beoin Corzatt enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1939 and received several promotions until reaching his final rank, Fireman 1st Class in May 1941.  

He was only 24 years old when he lost his life on December 7, 1941.  The attack on his ship, the USS Oklahoma, resulted in the deaths of 429 crew men, including him.

His remains were recovered from the ship, but after that length of time, could not be identified.  The were exhumed in 2015 and using advanced forensics were identified on December 20, 2020.  The recovery project has also identified the remains of  354 previous unidentifieds from the Oklahoma.

He will be reburied at the National Cemetery of the Pacific with full military honors.

--GreGen

Another USS Oklahoma Victim Buried

From the February 13, 2018, KMA Missouri.

The remains of Fireman First Class Charles R. Ogle were buried Monday at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery .

He was on the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor and one of the unknowns who have been recently identified.

--GreGen

Illinois USS Oklahoma Victim Returns Home After 76 Years

From the February 16, 2018, Aurora (Illinois) Beacon News  "After 76 years, Aurora sailor killed at Pearl Harbor finally coming home" Denise Crosby.

U.S. Navy Petty Officer, Second Class Walter Howard Backman was 22 when his ship, the USS Oklahoma, was destroyed in the attack on Pearl Harbor.  he will be buried at River Hills Memorial Park in Batavia next to a memorial stone already there.

He was born in 1919 in Wilton, North Dakota.  His family moved to Aurora shortly afterwards and he enlisted in the Navy in 1938.  His job was radioman.

Another Aurora sailor died on the USS Arizona during the attack.  His name was Eugene Fitzsimmons.

Aurora Hit Particularly Hard.  --GreGen

USS Oklahoma Sailor Lewis Stockdale Laid to Rest at Punchbowl in 2016

From the March 18, 2016, KHON 2 News.

Navy Ensign Lewis S. Stockdale, 27, was from Anaconda, Montana, and he was one of the Oklahoma's unknowns.  Bodies were recovered from the stricken ship from December 1941 to June 1944 and were interred at Halawa and Nuu Anu cemeteries.

In 1947, they were disinterred and transferred the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks where 35 remains were identified.  The many unidentified were buried in 46 plots in the Punchbowl.

In 1949, they were all classified as "non-recoverable."

On June 15, 2015, they began exhuming those commingled bodies for identification.

--GreGen

Remains of USS Oklahoma Sailor Come Home

October 12, 2016, Danbury News Times "Remains of sailor killed at Pearl Harbor returning home" by Michael Casey, AP.

Navy Fireman 3rd Class Edwin Hopkins of Keene, New Hampshire was one of 429 who died on the USS Oklahoma that day.  He was just 19 years old.

His remains arrived Thursday in Boston and then he was flown to Dillant-Hopkins Airport in Keene (named in his honor)  Visitation will be Friday and he will be buried Saturday at Woodland Cemetery in Keene, next to his parents Frank Hopkins Sr. and Alice Hopkins.

He was one of the 388 USS Oklahoma sailors whose remains were disinterred in 2015.  So far about 30 have been identified.

Another one, Navy Seaman 2nd Class James M. Phipps of Ranier, Oregon, also has been identified and will be buried October 17 in Portland, Oregon.

Edwin Hopkins quit high school to join the military to learn a trade.  He served on the Oklahoma with his brother Frank, who survived the attack but was also aboard the USS Hornet and USS Princeton later in the war.  Both of these ships were also sunk by the Japanese.

Edwin was from Swanzey, not Keene.

So Great They Are Identifying Them.  --GreGen