Pearl Harbor Sailor From Kansas to be Buried in Arlington National Cemetery

A Kansas born sailor who was killed at Pearl Harbor will be buried later this month at Arlington National Cemetery.

According to the U.S. Navy, Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Herman Schmidt, born in Alexander, Kansas and raised in Sheridan Wyoming, was killed aboard the USS Oklahoma during the Dec. 7th, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor,

Back on January 3rd the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced the 28-year-old Schmidt had been accounted for on Jan. 13, 2021.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Schmidt was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Schmidt.

Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Herman Schmidt will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on February 24th.

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Herman Schmidt Awards and Decorations

  • Purple Heart Medal
  • Combat Action Ribbon
  • Good Conduct Medal
  • American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet Clasp)
  • Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with Bronze Star)
  • American Campaign Medal
  • World War II Victory Medal