A sailor killed during the Pearl Harbor attack was laid to rest Thursday, over 81 years after the 1941 invasion.

Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Herman Schmidt was 28 years old when Japanese forces attacked the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Schmidt, along with over 400 other men from the USS Oklahoma, was initially buried as an unknown soldier. Only 35 of the men on the USS Oklahoma were identified immediately after the war. 

In 2015, analysts were cleared to exhume and identify the remains from the ship. As of September 2021, 346 sailors and Marines have been identified.

80 YEARS LATER, ILLINOIS SAILOR WHO DIED IN PEARL HARBOR ATTACK WILL BE LAID TO REST IN HOME STATE

The Navy awarded Schmidt, who died in the Pearl Harbor attack, full military honors during the ceremony. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery )

Schmidt was identified in 2021 through a DNA sample from his only son, Michael. 

“I have mixed emotions,” Michael, now 82, told The Washington Times.  “I thought it was fantastic that they did it.”

The Navy awarded Schmidt full military honors during the ceremony. None of those in attendance knew Schmidt personally, but his great-nephew was there.

WORLD WAR II VETERAN CELEBRATES 100TH BIRTHDAY, REVEALS HIS SECRETS AND ‘LIFETIME OF INSPIRATION’

A trumpeter from the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Band plays "Taps" during military funeral honors for U.S. Navy Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Herman Schmidt in Section 70 of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Feb. 23, 2023. 

A trumpeter from the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Band plays “Taps” during military funeral honors for U.S. Navy Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Herman Schmidt in Section 70 of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Feb. 23, 2023.  (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)

“The pride I feel — that I see people come out to support somebody they don’t even know — it’s just incredible,” Gary Bishop, Schmidt’s great-nephew, said. “It’s humbling.”

“We are here today because GM3 Herman Schmidt heard the call, and he stood the watch like everyone aboard the USS Oklahoma,” Navy chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Robert Price said during the ceremony.

Sailors from the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard and the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Band conduct military funeral honors for U.S. Navy Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Herman Schmidt in Section 70 of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Feb. 23, 2023.

Sailors from the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard and the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Band conduct military funeral honors for U.S. Navy Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Herman Schmidt in Section 70 of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Feb. 23, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“We never forget the sacrifice that people gave for us. This is personal for us because this is a sailor. This is one of ours.”

Source link

You May Also Like

Prince Harry ‘should have been denied US residency’ over drug use revealed in memoir

The Duke of Sussex extensively detailed his drug taking in his tell-all…

New York’s Attorney General Breaks With Gov. Hochul Over Migrant Crisis

Divisions among New York Democrats widened on Thursday over the influx of…

Column: How California could become the model for getting cops out of traffic stops

More than most people, Patrisse Cullors knows the highs and lows of…

Retail sales continued to fall in December as shoppers battled inflation | CNN Business

Minneapolis CNN  —  It was a ho-hum end to 2022 for spending…