Flags to fly at half-staff for Navy fireman who lost life during Pearl Harbor attack

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Across the nation, flags will fly at half-staff Saturday in honor of a Navy fireman who lost his life during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order Friday to lower the flags in honor of Navy Fireman First Class Kenneth E. Doernenburg, who lost his life on Dec. 7 1941 after the battleship USS Oklahoma was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The ship sustained multiple torpedo hits that quickly capsized the boat, claiming the lives of 429 crewmen.

Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew between 1941 and 1944 and interred unidentified remains at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

This year, Navy Fireman Doernenburg was accounted for on March 25. Doernenburg will be laid to rest with full military honors at Elmwood Cemetery in his hometown of Antigo, Wisconsin on Saturday.

“As Navy Fireman First Class Kenneth E. Doernenburg is finally laid to rest in the place he once called home, we reflect on and remember his sacrifice in service to our country,” Gov. Evers said. “We honor his memory and join in mourning his loss.”