World War II remains have been identified as a man from Markesan, Wis.
Navy Hospital Apprentice 1st Class Keefe R. Connolly, 19, was aboard the USS Oklahoma when it capsized following multiple torpedo attacks in 1941. He was one of the 429 crewmen that went down with the ship. In the three years that followed, Navy personnel worked to recover the remains of the crew. They were then buried in cemeteries in Hawaii.
In 1947, the remains were dug up in an attempt to identify the crew; however, only 35 men were identified. Those that couldn't be identified were buried again. The remains of Connolly and the rest of the crew were considered non-recoverable.
In 2015, the remains were once again exhumed. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and Armed Forces Medical Examiner System scientists used dental and DNA analyses to ultimately identify Connolly's remains.
Connolly will be buried Nov. 8 in Markesan, Wis. A rosette will be placed next to his name on the Wall of the Missing in Honolulu to indicate that he has been accounted for.
