MARKESAN, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The remains of a Wisconsin sailor killed in World War II have been identified and will be buried in his hometown of Markesan this fall.
On Feb. 11, 2021, the remains of Navy Hospital Apprentice 1st Class Keefe R. Connolly, 19, of Markesan was accounted for.
Connolly died during the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941. He was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma. The ship capsize after taking on multiple torpedo hits during the attack, killing 429 crewmen, including Connolly.
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 September 1947, the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Connolly’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Connolly’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Connolly will be buried Nov. 8, 2021, in his hometown.
For family and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office at (800) 443-9298.
