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Brandt, Oris Vernelle, S1c.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Morocco, IN
Last Address Kentland, IN
Casualty Date Dec 07, 1941
Cause KIA-Body Not Recovered
Reason Other Explosive Device
Location Hawaii
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial - Honolulu, Hawaii
Wall/Plot Coordinates Court 5 (cenotaph)
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Seaman/1c Oris Brandt was Killed in Action on December 7, 1941, during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was stationed aboard the USS Oklahoma BB37.
Comments/Citation:
Oris Vernelle Brandt (Service number: 2916225) was born Feb 16, 1921, to Edward and Letha (Miller) Brandt. He had one younger brother, Carlin. His father was the Newton, Indiana county recorder at the time of Oris’ death in 1941, and the family of 4 lived on a farm near Kentland, Indiana.
Letha passed away in 1957, and Edward passed away in 1966. His brother Carlin also served in WW2, spending 3 years in the Army Air Corp, then went on to study at Purdue University, marry Mary Hunt and raise a family. He passed away in 2015, survived by 2 sons and 4 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
A 1939 graduate of Kentland High School, Oris was captain of the basketball team and also played football, as reported by the Brook Reporter. In 1936, he made the local newspaper for being a sophomore honor roll student, one of 7 to receive this standing. In 1937, the Journal and Courier mentioned him as a returning veteran of the football team, where he played end. He also was a member and regular attendee of the United Brethren church.
When barely 19 years old, he enlisted to the Navy on March 19, 1940. According to the Steinke Funeral Home memorial, Oris “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 the morning of 7 December 1941, a fleet of Japanese carriers launched an air strike against the U.S. Pacific Fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The attack decimated the ships and personnel of the fleet and thrust the United States into World War II. At the onset of the 7 December 1941 attack, the battleship USS Oklahoma(BB-37) was moored at berth Fox 5 on “Battleship Row.” Just before 8:00 a.m., the Oklahoma was among the first of the ships struck in the attack. A torpedo struck on her port side and she capsized quickly. After the Arizona, she was the largest loss of life, at 429 sailors and marines. The Oklahoma was salvaged in 1942, but it was determined she could not be repaired. In May of 1947, she was sold for scrap and while under tow to California, she sank in a storm. Her exact location remains unknown to this day.
At the time of his death he was Seaman 1st Class. The Christmas Day edition of the Brook Reporter indicated that 3 families in the area all received news at the beginning of that week that their sons were missing after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He remained unaccounted for, until February 20, 2019, just after what would’ve been his 98th birthday.
His remains were identified thanks to advances in forensic techniques, and finally laid to rest beside his parents in the Oakland Cemetery (Newton County) on September 13, 2021. He is also memorialized at the Honolulu Memorial and the USS Oklahoma Memorial.
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (seewww.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.
