Flags at Half-Staff Today for Wisconsin Navy Fireman Killed at Pearl Harbor

Saturday, September 25th, 2021 -- 10:00 AM

Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order #133 ordering the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff on Sat., Sept. 25, 2021, in honor of Navy Fireman First Class Kenneth E. Doernenburg, who lost his life during the attack on Pearl Harbor.  

“As Navy Fireman First Class Kenneth E. Doernenburg is finally laid to rest in the place he once called home, we reflect on and remember his sacrifice in service to our country,” said Gov. Evers.

“We honor his memory and join in mourning his loss.” Navy Fireman First Class Kenneth E. Doernenburg, assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, lost his life on Dec. 7, 1941, during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The ship, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, was attacked by Japanese aircraft and sustained multiple torpedo hits that quickly capsized the boat, claiming the lives of 429 crewmen, including Navy Fireman First Class Kenneth E. Doernenburg.

Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew between 1941 and 1944 and interred unidentified remains, including those of Navy Fireman First Class Kenneth E. Doernenburg, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) exhumed USS Oklahoma Unknowns in 2015 for scientific analysis and possible identification and the DPAA laboratory identified Navy Fireman First Class Kenneth E. Doernenburg, who was accounted for on March 25, 2021.

Navy Fireman First Class Kenneth E. Doernenburg will be laid to rest with full military honors at Elmwood Cemetery in his hometown of Antigo, Wisconsin on Sat., Sept. 25, 2021.

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