Obituary for Oris V. Brandt
Oris V. Brandt, the son of Edward J. Brandt and Letha L. (Miller) Brandt, was born February 16, 1921 in Rensselaer, Indiana. Oris graduated from J. Kent High School in Kentland, Indiana with the Class of 1939. In March 1940, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and completed basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station, then was assigned to duty on the Pacific Ocean. On September 18, 1941 Brandt was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma (BB-37) as a member of the anti-aircraft fire control team. On December 7, 1941, while moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 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 Brandt, age 20.
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, members of the American Graves Registration Service disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. In 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Brandt.
In April 2015, advances in forensic techniques prompted the reexamination of unknown remains associated with the Oklahoma, and Seaman First Class Brandt’s remains were eventually identified on February 20, 2019. Seaman Brandt is memorialized in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Punchbowl Crater, Honolulu, Hawaii. A rosette has been placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Brandt is returning home to Newton County nearly 80 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor. His remains will be laid to rest next to his parents in Oakland Cemetery. Graveside services with full military honors are scheduled for Monday, September 13, 2021 at 1 p.m. (Central Time) at Oakland Cemetery, Morocco, Indiana. Steinke Funeral Home is honored to be handling the arrangements. www.SteinkeFuneralHome.com.
Learn more about the history of the USS Oklahoma by visiting: https://www.facebook.com/BB37OK.
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, members of the American Graves Registration Service disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. In 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Brandt.
In April 2015, advances in forensic techniques prompted the reexamination of unknown remains associated with the Oklahoma, and Seaman First Class Brandt’s remains were eventually identified on February 20, 2019. Seaman Brandt is memorialized in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Punchbowl Crater, Honolulu, Hawaii. A rosette has been placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Brandt is returning home to Newton County nearly 80 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor. His remains will be laid to rest next to his parents in Oakland Cemetery. Graveside services with full military honors are scheduled for Monday, September 13, 2021 at 1 p.m. (Central Time) at Oakland Cemetery, Morocco, Indiana. Steinke Funeral Home is honored to be handling the arrangements. www.SteinkeFuneralHome.com.
Learn more about the history of the USS Oklahoma by visiting: https://www.facebook.com/BB37OK.