Project Oklahoma to Identify USS Oklahoma Unknowns-- Part 2

Continued from my Saw the Elephant: Civil War blog.

Bud Hannon's remains were unknown along with so many of his shipmates and were buried in graves marked Unknowns.  However, in 2015, it was decided that would have to be corrected.  Project Oklahoma began which was by and large reliant on DNA testing.

Said Carrie Legarde, a project lead for Project Oklahoma: "For a large project like this, where the remains are reallly commingled, we had to do a lot of DNA testing.  And so that's where we need family members involvement, because we need a DNA reference sample from the family that we can compare  to the remains."

The project takes time and involves labs across the country.  For this project, initial processing was done at  the defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency lab at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam Field, then, further analysis at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, and DNA testing at the Armed Forces Laboratory at Dover, Delaware.

"And they provide us thatn information to help us kind of piece together the remains basically, it's kind of like a big puzzle that we have to put together and sort out," Legarde said.  "And, once we can figure out which remains go together,  we can figure out who they belong to."

I Put My Flags Out for Veterans Day / Armistice Day

Well, actually I put them out yesterday in honor of the 243rd birthday of the USMC.  But, they remain up today for the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I with Armistice Day, which in the United States is now also a day to honor those who have served, our veterans.

Armistice day famously dealt with those elevens.

An American artillery gun in the 11th Field Artillery Regiment names "Calamity Jane" fired a single shot at 11 a.m..  This is known as the closing shot of the war.

Happy 241st Birthday USMC

On this date in 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the creation of the United States Marine Corps.  This date is celebrated across the Corps on this day every year.

Saturday, I will be honoring it by attending the annual Marine Corps Breakfast at the Fox Lake, Illinois, American Legion Post #703, which is also the kickoff for the Toys for Tots Program.

Later that day, I will be attending the Sons of Confederate Veterans meeting in DeKalb, Illinois, honoring American veterans of all wars.  And, the Confederacy had their own Confederate States Marine Corps (CSMC).

After that I plan to return to Fox Lake for the annual Veterans Day Dance at the American Legion featuring the Lakes Area Swing band, playing all that great World War II music.

--Old B-R'er

In Honor of Veterans-- Part 3: Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery

The Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery is in the northwestern area of what was once the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant, approximately 50 miles south of Chicago (and on Route 66).

Congressman George Sangmeister, a veteran of the Korean War from Will County, was instrumental in the acquisition of 982 acres of the former Joliet Arsenal and its redevelopment as the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.  He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1988 to 1995.

The Congressman chose the Lincoln national Cemetery for his final resting place and was interned October 2007.

The cemetery's beautiful acreage includes a memorial walk that commemorates soldiers of the 20th century wars on 11 memorials.  An 18-foot granite obelisk, crowned by a bronze eagle with outstretched wings commemorates the 2,403 Americans who died in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.  It was donated by the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.

--Old B-R'er

In Honor of Veterans Day-- Part 1: Lincoln and the National Cemeteries-- Camp Butler

From the Nov. 6, 2015, Chicago Tribune "Rest in peace: Abraham Lincoln National cemetery serves veterans and their families."

According to the U.S. Department of veterans Affairs, the National Cemetery Administration began because of the mounting deaths during the Civil War.  Congress empowered President Abraham Lincoln "to purchase cemetery grounds and cause them to be securely enclosed, to be used as a national cemetery for the soldiers who shall die in the service of the country."

This was the first U.S. legislation to establish and put into motion the concept of a national cemetery to honor the fallen.

There were 14 national cemeteries established in 1862, one of which was Camp Butler National Cemetery located in Sangamon County near Springfield, Illinois.  It occupies a portion of Camp Butler (not named for Union General Benjamin Butler), the second-largest Union military training camp in Illinois during the war.

In addition to the Union soldiers, there are also Confederate soldiers buried there who died while prisoners of the North.  Other wars represented among the burials are the Spanish-American War, the two World Wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

In 1997, Camp Butler National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

--Old B-R'er

A Day to Honor All Veterans

Memorial Day is the commemoration of military service that grew out of the Civil War.  Today is the one that grew out of the end of World War I, or First World War as the British refer to it.

Nonetheless, both commemorate the service of all veterans and that includes the Civil War veterans.  And, even though some people hate this idea, those who served the Confederacy are also included as our nation's veterans.

So, To All Veterans, a Very Big Thank You

Thank You Veterans

And, of course, veterans would also include those of the naval bent.  Going all the way back to the Revolutionary War and through today.