This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Shaun Thomas (Underdog), OSC
to remember
Keckler, Roland Wilbur, CEM.
If you knew or served with this Sailor and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Casualty Info
Home Town Waynesboro, PA
Last Address Waynesboro, PA
Casualty Date Aug 24, 1944
Cause KIA-Body Not Recovered
Reason Other Explosive Device
Location Pacific Ocean
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Manila American Cemetery and Memorial - Manila, Philippines
Wall/Plot Coordinates (cenotaph)
Military Service Number 2 582 236
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
The USS Harder (SS-257) began her 6th War Patrol on August 5th, 1944 and formed a "wolfpack" with four other submarines. She sank two merchant ships before her final attack on August 24th. While the Hake escaped sinking, a depth charge attack sunk the Harder with all hands. Electrician's Mate Keckler was listed as Missing in Action and later declared dead 2 October 1945.
Service number: 2582236
Silver Star
Awarded for Actions During World War II
Service: Navy
General Orders: American Battle Monuments Commission
Citation: (Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Chief Electrician's Mate Roland W. Keckler (NSN: 2582236), United States Navy, was awarded the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in connection with military operations against an armed enemy, during World War II. His gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service.
Comments/Citation:
Chief Electrician’s Mate Roland Wilbur Keckler – Service # 2582236
Roland Wilbur Keckler was born 8 Feb 1920 in Pennsylvania, the son of Jacob Oyler Keckler (1870-1954) and Josephine King (1882-1967). Roland graduated from Greencastle high school in 1938. His father was a farmer.
Roland enlisted into the Navy on 5 Jan 1939 at Baltimore, Maryland.
Muster rolls –
9/26/1943 – USS Lapon, from Pearl Harbor to sea (from Comsubdiv 122 Relief Crew)
9/30/1943 – USS Lapon (SS260) – received onboard 9/25/1943
1/31/1944 – USS Harder (SS257) – received onboard 1/29/1944 from SubDiv 122 Relief Crew for duty
Undated – USS Harder (SS257) – missing in action 10/1/1944, changed to presumed dead 10/2/1944
Roland was officially declared dead on 02 Oct 1945. He is memorialized on the monument at Fort William McKinley in the Philippines. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Silver Star medals.
Chief Electrician’s Mate Roland Wilbur Keckler, we thank you for your dedication, service and sacrifice for our country. You are not forgotten.
If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute, please contact me at kharmon@storiesbehindthestars.org.
Western Caroline Islands Operation/Battle of Peleliu
From Month/Year
September / 1944
To Month/Year
October / 1944
Description The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II, was fought between the United States and the Empire of Japan in the Pacific Theater of World War II, from September–November 1944 on the island of Peleliu, present-day Palau. U.S. Marines of the First Marine Division and later soldiers of the U.S. Army's 81st Infantry Division, fought to capture an airstrip on the small coral island. This battle was part of a larger offensive campaign known as Operation Forager which ran from June–November 1944 in the Pacific Theater of Operations.
Major General William Rupertus, USMC—commander of 1st Marine Division—predicted the island would be secured within four days. However, due to Japan's well-crafted fortifications and stiff resistance, the battle lasted over two months. In the United States, it was a controversial battle because of the island's questionable strategic value and the high casualty rate, which exceeded all other amphibious operations during the Pacific War. The National Museum of the Marine Corps called it "the bitterest battle of the war for the Marines".
