TRAER, Iowa — The remains of an Iowa sailor killed in the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors, officials say.
The remains of 22-year-old William Kvidera, of Traer, will be buried Nov. 16, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
Kvidera was a carpenter’s mate 3rd class assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. The battleship quickly capsized on Dec. 7, 1941, after being struck by multiple Japanese torpedoes.
He was one of 429 crewman who died as a result of the attack on the Oklahoma, according to Defense Department records.
His remains were among those not identified after their recovery. They were interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
The agency says the remains were removed from the cemetery in April 2015 and identified through DNA and dental analysis and other evidence. He was listed as accounted for on July 3 this year.
Kvidera’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl in Hawaii, along with the others who are missing from World War II, according to DoD websites. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
