Massillon Navy fireman who died at Pearl Harbor to receive long-awaited military burial

Canton Repository
A newspaper clipping from the Evening Independent in 1942 notes that the Veterans of Foreign Wars honored Walter Schleiter who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
A newspaper clipping from the Evening Independent in 1942 notes that the Veterans of Foreign Wars honored Walter Schleiter who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The remains of a U.S. service member from Massillon killed during World War II will be buried this spring as part of a formal ceremony.

U.S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Walter F. Schleiter was officially identified and accounted for in May 2018. But the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency — a U.S. Department of Defense office tasked with recovering prisoners of war or personnel missing in action from past conflicts — announced this week that Schleiter is scheduled to be buried with military honors on April 11 in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania.

Gene Hughes, U.S. Navy POW/MIA Office communications manager, said Tuesday that the COVID-19 pandemic and additional time necessary to identify sailors who were at or approaching 100 years old were main factors in five years passing before announcing Schleiter's identification.

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Remains of U.S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Walter F. Schleiter, of Massillon, are to be buried on April 11 in Pennsylvania. Schleiter was killed during World War II while serving aboard the USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor.
Remains of U.S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Walter F. Schleiter, of Massillon, are to be buried on April 11 in Pennsylvania. Schleiter was killed during World War II while serving aboard the USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor.

"The pandemic slowed down our processes and notifications to a crawl," said Hughes, noting a significant backlog in cases.

More personal data and a photograph of Schleiter are being sought prior to the April burial, said Hughes, adding that new details will be released ahead of the ceremony.

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A newspaper clipping from the Evening Independent notes the Veterans of Foreign Wars unveiled a service flag to honor Walter F. Schleiter and Leonard Kozelck, who were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
A newspaper clipping from the Evening Independent notes the Veterans of Foreign Wars unveiled a service flag to honor Walter F. Schleiter and Leonard Kozelck, who were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Schleiter, 22, served aboard USS Oklahoma during Pearl Harbor attack

Schleiter, who died at 22 years old, was assigned to the USS Oklahoma battleship on Dec. 7, 1941, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the vessel was attacked by Japanese aircraft.

The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, causing it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in 429 crewmen deaths. Schleiter was among the deceased.

From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu Cemeteries.

In October 1949, the U.S. military classified those, including Schleiter, who could not be identified as non-recoverable.

Between June and November 2015, the defense accounting agency exhumed unknown seamen from the USS Oklahoma for analysis.

To identify the remains of Schleiter and others, scientists from the agency and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used dental, mitochondrial and anthropological analysis to make positive identifications.

Massillon Independent reporter Steven M. Grazier contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on The Independent: Walter Schleiter, died in World War II at Pearl Harbor, to be buried

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