As more remains from Pearl Harbor are identified and repatriated, Legion family members are there to provide proper final respects.
During the 2016 National Convention in Cincinnati, The American Legion's National Security Commission received an update on POW-MIA efforts being conducted by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Command (DPAA). During the briefing, the DPAA's Johnie Webb told Legionnaires that 43 USS Oklahoma remains previous buried as unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific were disinterred and then identified in mid-August. Another 388 remains were awaiting identification; Webb expected that to happen within the next five years.
Since then, a handful of remains have been repatriated, bringing the servicemembers back to their home towns for a proper burial. And in a few cases, members of the Legion family were there to ensure the veteran wasn't alone.
Lewis Lowell Wagoner. Killed when the USS Oklahoma sank, Wagoner's remains were not identified until this year. Wagoner was laid to rest in Whitewater, Kan., earlier this month.
According to the Wichita Eagle, dozens of American flags were placed outside the funeral home. An American Legion Rider stood alongside each flag.
Outside the funeral home, dozens of American flags flew in a pleasant autumn breeze, with dozens of American Legion Riders standing alongside each flag. And a Legionnaire played “Taps” following a 21-gun salute.
“I believe he is here with us now,” Mark Wagoner, Lewis’ nephew, told the Wichita Eagle. “And that he is very, very happy.”
Rudolph Piskuran. Another sailor killed when the Oklahoma sank and later identified in April, Piskuran was brought home to Elyria, Ohio, to be buried this month. When the plane carrying his remains arrived at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, a contingent from American Legion Post 211 in Avon Lake was there to welcome the lost sailor home.
Piskuran was buried with full military honors on Oct. 14 at St. Mary Cemetery in Elyria. Cleveland.com reported that as the hearse left the airport, Piskuran’s niece dabbed at tears and called the reception given to him “wonderful.”
Edwin Hopkins. Another casualty of the bombing of the Oklahoma, Hopkins was buried as an “unknown” in Hawaii but later identified in 2015 when a DNA match with a distant cousin provided a positive ID. Hopkins’ remains were transported to Boston, and he was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Keene, N.H., next to his parents, Frank Hopkins Sr. and Alice Hopkins.
Alfred Wells. Also killed when the Oklahoma was torpedoed, Wells’ remains weren’t identified until April 2016. He was buried at Onondaga County Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Syracuse, N.Y., earlier this summer. When his remains arrived at the Syracuse Hancock International Airport, his remains and his family were escorted by Patriot Guard Riders.
j.g. Aloysius H. Schmitt. A chaplain who was killed on the Oklahoma while helping fellow crewmembers escape, Schmitt’s remains weren’t identified until September of this year. He was buried at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, in October.
Fae Moore. Not a casualty of Pearl Harbor, Moore was a Marine who was killed in the Battle of Tarawa in the Pacific. His remains were discovered in 2015 and eventually made their way to Chadron, Neb., to be buried in his hometown.
After the memorial service, which included full military honors, Moore was buried at Beaver Valley Cemetery. Legionnaires from several area posts were at the funeral, and a luncheon took place after the services at American Legion Post 12 in Chadron.
- Honor & Remembrance