Able Seaman Denver True “DT” Kyser.
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The remains of a World War II veteran will be laid to rest in Fresno on Saturday – 80 years after Able Seaman Denver True “DT” Kyser was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Kyser was just 18 when he died in action on December 7, 1941. He was among 429 crew members killed on the USS Oklahoma after the battleship was hit by multiple torpedo strikes and capsized.
His remains were marked as unknown and interred in Oahu, Hawaii until reexamination in 2015. Use of DNA, dental and anthropological analyzesthey were identified on August 9, 2019 – 78 years after Kyser’s death – by the POW/MIA Defense Accounting Agencya branch of the US Department of Defense.
Naval Air Station Lemoore announced Monday that Kyser’s remains will be interred at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Fresno Memorial Gardens, 175 S. Cornelia Ave., Fresno.
Details about Kyser’s connection to the Central San Joaquin Valley were not shared in the announcement. The POW/MIA Agency identified Kyser from Oklahoma.
“His ultimate sacrifice in the attack on Pearl Harbor all those years ago still resonates and has intrinsic value today. The freedoms we fight for today are built on the efforts of those who came before us, and we are deeply honored to escort the remains of one of these patriots home,” said Capt. Douglas Peterson, Commanding Officer of Naval Air Station Lemoore.
In Honolulu, a rosette will also be placed next to Kyser’s name on a memorial wall in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as Punchbowl, to indicate that he was found.
The Fresno funeral service will be conducted by Navy Rear Adm. Gene Price.
There was a similar World War II funeral in the Valley last year for Pfc. Royal Waltz, whose remains were lost to the Marine Corps and his family for more than 70 years on a remote island in the Pacific.