Massillon Navy sailor who died at Pearl Harbor attack getting long-awaited military burial

Steven M. Grazier, Massillon Independent
Updated ·3 min read
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.

A U.S. Navy sailor from Massillon who was killed in Pearl Harbor during World War II will get his long-awaited burial soon with full military honors.

Navy Fireman 1st Class Walter F. Schleiter was officially identified and accounted for in May 2018.

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 — said Schleiter is slated to be buried at 1 p.m. April 11 at the National Cemeteries of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania.

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Schleiter had no children and his closest next-of-kin are located in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, which is the reason why the Alleghenies cemetery was selected to host the funeral service, according to Gene Hughes, U.S. Navy POW/MIA Office communications manager.

"The family lives close by and requested the location," he said.

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

Joseph Such, whose wife Lynn, 83, is a second cousin of Schleiter, said he and his wife were contacted by a Navy casualty officer in December about his positive identification. She was a 1-year-old when Schleiter died in 1941 while serving aboard the USS Oklahoma battleship.

"There really wasn't any sadness (when learning the news of his death)," said Such. "We had no knowledge of him. It was more surprise, and to try to do the right thing (with the military burial)."

Full military honors at Schleiter's ceremony will include the playing of taps, the presentation of a U.S. flag to a family member and a detail of uniformed Navy personnel, Hughes said. The honors are provided at no cost for veterans and active-duty service members.

The COVID-19 pandemic and additional time necessary to identify remains of sailors who were at or approaching 100 years old were main factors in a few years passing before sharing Schleiter's identification, Hughes has explained.

Schleiter is the recipient of several military awards, including the Purple Heart medal; Combat Action Ribbon; American Defense Service Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal.

Schleiter, 22, served aboard USS Oklahoma during 1941 Pearl Harbor attack

Schleiter, who died at 22 years old, was assigned to the USS Oklahoma 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.

A newspaper clipping from the Evening Independent in 1942 notes the Veterans of Foreign Wars honored Walter F. Schleiter, who died during World War II.
A newspaper clipping from the Evening Independent in 1942 notes the Veterans of Foreign Wars honored Walter F. Schleiter, who died during World War II.

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 analyses to make positive identifications.

Reach Steven at steven.grazier@indeonline.com. On Twitter: @sgrazierINDE

This article originally appeared on The Independent: Massillon's Walter Schleiter to get long-awaited military burial