ELYRIA, Ohio — A sailor killed 75 years ago in the attack on Pearl Harbor is set to be buried with full military honors in northeast Ohio.
Rudolph Piskuran, of Elyria (eh-LEER’-ee-uh), and 429 other sailors aboard the USS Oklahoma were killed on Dec. 7, 1941, when a torpedo struck the ship.
Piskuran’s remains were identified earlier this year through DNA testing. He will be buried late next week at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Elyria.
The Chronicle-Telegram reports Piskuran had been a 1940 graduate of Elyria High School. He played basketball and sang in the boys’ chorus and junior a capella chorus.
In a letter dated eight days before the attack, Piskuran told his parents he felt safe and happy. He said he was more concerned about volcanoes than the Japanese.
