After 80 Years, a Pearl Harbor Sailor Laid to Rest (stltoday.com) 34
Today is Memorial Day in the U.S. — a federal holiday honoring military personnel who died serving their country.
After the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, 389 unidentified sailors had been interred in a volcanic crater in Honolulu officially designated as the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. After more than 70 years, the U.S government's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency began the "USS Oklahoma Project." It continued its work for five years, eventually identifying 355 of the 389 unknown sailors.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that "After more than 80 years gone, Paul Boemer finally returned from Hawaii."
"And Vince Boemer — who gently accepted the folded American flag that had covered his brother's casket — was happy to welcome him back." "He was a good man," Boemer said. "He was a good older brother."
Earlier this month, Paul Boemer was laid to rest at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, in a ceremony scored by the playing of taps and a 21-gun salute. Family, friends, a Navy honor guard in dress whites and several dozen Freedom Rider veterans stood with reverence on a sunny, humid St. Louis day.
"It's a great honor to be part of this," said Vince Boemer, who soon will turn 98. "It's wonderful to see the U.S. government go to these lengths to honor its veterans."
To be sure, Paul Boemer did not plan to be gone so long when he enlisted in the Navy in late 1938. After growing up in south St. Louis, the eighth of 10 children, and graduating from Cleveland High School, the lanky 18-year-old decided on a stint in the military.
He completed basic training, and the Navy assigned the new coxswain — a sailor who helps steer a ship — to the USS Oklahoma. So Boemer boarded a troop transport in Norfolk, Virginia, and sailed to the ship's home port, Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
That's where Boemer was stationed in 1939 — and on Dec. 7, 1941.
On that day, Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet; the USS Oklahoma was struck by two torpedoes. The battleship quickly capsized, claiming the lives of 429 crewmen.
Paul Boemer was a month shy of turning 22.
In all, 2,403 U.S. personnel died that Sunday morning at Pearl Harbor and 19 vessels were destroyed or damaged.
But because of "these lengths" taken by the U.S. government, Vince Boemer finally got to see his big brother buried in his hometown.
Thank you for your service.
After the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, 389 unidentified sailors had been interred in a volcanic crater in Honolulu officially designated as the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. After more than 70 years, the U.S government's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency began the "USS Oklahoma Project." It continued its work for five years, eventually identifying 355 of the 389 unknown sailors.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that "After more than 80 years gone, Paul Boemer finally returned from Hawaii."
"And Vince Boemer — who gently accepted the folded American flag that had covered his brother's casket — was happy to welcome him back." "He was a good man," Boemer said. "He was a good older brother."
Earlier this month, Paul Boemer was laid to rest at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, in a ceremony scored by the playing of taps and a 21-gun salute. Family, friends, a Navy honor guard in dress whites and several dozen Freedom Rider veterans stood with reverence on a sunny, humid St. Louis day.
"It's a great honor to be part of this," said Vince Boemer, who soon will turn 98. "It's wonderful to see the U.S. government go to these lengths to honor its veterans."
To be sure, Paul Boemer did not plan to be gone so long when he enlisted in the Navy in late 1938. After growing up in south St. Louis, the eighth of 10 children, and graduating from Cleveland High School, the lanky 18-year-old decided on a stint in the military.
He completed basic training, and the Navy assigned the new coxswain — a sailor who helps steer a ship — to the USS Oklahoma. So Boemer boarded a troop transport in Norfolk, Virginia, and sailed to the ship's home port, Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
That's where Boemer was stationed in 1939 — and on Dec. 7, 1941.
On that day, Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet; the USS Oklahoma was struck by two torpedoes. The battleship quickly capsized, claiming the lives of 429 crewmen.
Paul Boemer was a month shy of turning 22.
In all, 2,403 U.S. personnel died that Sunday morning at Pearl Harbor and 19 vessels were destroyed or damaged.
But because of "these lengths" taken by the U.S. government, Vince Boemer finally got to see his big brother buried in his hometown.
Thank you for your service.
Re:Uh... news for nerds ? (Score:5, Insightful)
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So now we ALL know the universe revolves around you.
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Aww, poor widdle atheist is offended that people who are killed defending their freedom are treated with respect even after they are dead. Tough.
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No, he's just a commie bastard, probably spends time with Oliver Stone worshiping Putler in r/russia.
Atheist veteran btw.
Re: Church and state vacillations (Score:1)
Oliver Stone is right wing?
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Those killed at Pearl Harbour weren't defending anything; the USA at that point was only involved in the war to the extent that they were selling weapons to European countries.
Emphasis added.
So, the USA should wait until there is a war to build boats and train soldiers?
It seems to me the folks at Pearl Harbor were stationed with training and equipment, and when Japan's planes arrived they started defending. See how that works?
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So the commies of Slashdot object to efforts to bring home soldiers who died in the line of duty? Sadly, I expect no less.
Re:Church and state vacillations (Score:5, Insightful)
The government does this for the families and to honor those who sacrificed everything. It's sad that today's morons are hell-bent on denigrating the memory and the closure that this provides. Yes, they've known for 80 years that he was dead, but finally identifying his remains and giving him a final, named resting place is the honorable way to provide closure.
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Quite the miserable piece of shit, aren't you.
Re:Church and state vacillations (Score:4, Insightful)
It's nowhere close to being a "separation of church and state" issue. Nobody is attempting to establish a state religion through this act.
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They had to find something Memorial Day-related, and this was the best they had that was maybe somewhat science-y.
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Re:Objection (Score:5, Informative)
I spent part of Memorial Day reading on my dad's ship and crew, sunk 1945, April 16 by kamikaze in the Okinawa campaign. My dad was injured, but survived. He spoke little of his experience. The only time that I saw him break down in public, was on our visit to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Various fragmentary stories tell of surviving sailors in the water, with inadequate life raft capacity, burning fuel on the water, injuries, strafing of survivors, and sharks. One fragment claimed that a shipmate held greater prospects for my dad's survival than others did, and kept him from being removed from the life raft to make room.
Today's readings brought to light the efforts of a young Black sailor, enlisted early from family poverty (my dad's story as well), an able swimmer, making repeated efforts to save shipmates, before his being taken by the sea. My dad might have been among those who he helped. In memory of Edward Roy Burton, USNR.
In memory of the sailors of USS Pringle, DD-477.
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All my ancestors made it through their wars somewhat intact. A great uncle got gassed by the Kaiser's men and wasn't quite right afterwards. A grandfather saw something while he was running comms for an armored battalion in the Western front that he didn't want to talk about and basically drank himself into oblivion. My dad got shot at a bit during Tet but otherwise made it back okay.
Slashdot is still Slashdot. It's obvious the editors were desperate to attach themselves to the holiday.
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Incorrect information in the summary (Score:5, Informative)
The three rifle volleys fired at a U.S. military funeral are not a "21-gun salute." The three rifle volleys are a ceremonial holdover from wartime burials; the fact that a 7-person rifle team often fires the salute is a cause for confusion.
In actuality, a 21-gun salute is an artillery or cannon salute of 21 (blank) shots fired in succession, used as a ceremonial salute to a head of state. In the United States, the artillery shots that are fired just after a new U.S. president is sworn in are probably the most noticeable modern-day usage of a 21-gun salute.
Source: "Three-volley salute" [wikipedia.org] as opposed to "21-gun salute." [wikipedia.org]
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What's with the weird gun fetish?
You must be new here.
Tangential (Score:2, Informative)
Damn Volcanoes (Score:2)