William Eugene Blanchard (1917 - 1941)

Died 7 Dec 1941 at age 24 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory, United States

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Biography

• Boilermaker 1st Class aboard the USS Oklahoma when it was sunk at Pearl Harbor in 1941^[1][2]
  • 4 Jan 2021 His remains were identified using DNA by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency^[3][2]
  • Awarded (posthumously) the Purple Heart Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the World War II Victory Medal^[3][4]
• s/o DeWitt Blanchard & Nancy Lee Truitt^[5]
• At least three of his grandchildren served in the US Military - 2 in the US Navy and 1 in the US Army^[3]
• 2021 Remains will be buried in New Hollywood Cemetery^[4][6]
• Name is noted on the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor^[7] and on the Honolulu Memorial in Honolulu^[8]
• There is a cenotaph in Magnolia Park Cemetery and Mausoleum in Warner Robins, Georgia^[5]

Images

• Remains of 24-Year-Old Sailor Killed at Pearl Harbor Identified 80 Years Later Thanks to DNA Testing
• BMKR1 WILLIAM E BLANCHARD at Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
  • (same image) at Find A Grave: Memorial #224709711
• Name on the USS Oklahoma Memorial & Marble Marker at Find A Grave: Memorial #77271283
• Name on the Honolulu Memorial at Find A Grave: Memorial #56115624
• Cenotaph in Magnolia Park Cemetery and Mausoleum at Find A Grave: Memorial #54661967

Sources

1. ↑ Our Missing: Recently Accounted For... William E Blanchard. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. 9 Feb 2021. Search conducted 27 Mar 2021.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Blanchard, W.)." <i>Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. 9 Feb 2021. Release No: 21-014. dpaa.mil. Retrieved 27 Mar 2021.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Hahn, Jason Duaine. "Remains of 24-Year-Old Sailor Killed at Pearl Harbor Identified 80 Years Later Thanks to DNA Testing." People. 25 Mar 2021. People.com. Retrieved 27 Mar 2021.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "William Eugene Blanchard." Idaho Statesman. 21 Mar 2021. Legacy.com. Retrieved 27 Mar 2021.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Find A Grave: Memorial #54661967, accessed 27 Mar 2021.
6. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #224709711, accessed 27 Mar 2021.
7. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #77271283, accessed 27 Mar 2021.
8. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #56115624, accessed 27 Mar 2021.