11-8-21 governor evers orders flags at half-staff in honor of navy apprentice killed at pearl harbor

Gov. Tony Evers has ordered flags  to be flown at half-staff on Monday in honor of Navy Hospital Apprentice 1st Class Keefe R. Connolly, who lost his life in the attack on Pearl Harbor.   Connolly was one of 429 crewmen who lost their lives when the USS Oklahoma was attacked  by Japanese aircraft.  His remains were interred shortly after World War II and identified earlier this year.    “I want to thank all the folks who have worked to ensure Navy Hospital Apprentice 1st Class Connolly was able to return home after all these years so he can be laid to rest in his home state,” said Gov. Evers. “We are thankful for his service and his sacrifice, and we hope this final journey brings peace to his memory.”    Connolly, assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, lost his life on Dec. 7, 1941, in the attack on Pearl Harbor. The USS Oklahoma was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft and sustained multiple torpedo hits that caused the ship to capsize, resulting in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Connolly. Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew between 1941 and 1944 and interred unidentified remains, including those of Connolly, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu shortly after World War II. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) exhumed USS Oklahoma Unknowns in 2015 for scientific analysis and possible identification, and the DPAA laboratory identified Connolly, who was accounted for on February 11, 2021.  Connolly will be laid to rest with military honors at Memorial Cemetery in his hometown of  Markesan on Monday.