Sailor Killed In Pearl Harbor Attack Laid To Rest On Cape Cod

BOURNE, MA – A sailor killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor was laid to rest Monday. The remains of Navy Water Tender 1st Class Stephen Pepe, a Bridgeport, CT native, were recently identified and returned to his family. He was buried with full military honors at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

Pepe was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island when it was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. The ship sustained multiple torpedo hits, causing it to capsize. Pepe, 43 years old at the time of the attack, was among 429 crewmen killed.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy ordered all flags lowered to half-staff Monday.

"Navy Water Tender 1st Class Stephen Pepe gave his life for our country, and we will be forever grateful for his service," Malloy said in a statement. "Over seven decades after he made the ultimate sacrifice in a battle that marked one of the darkest days in American history, he is returning to his family and will receive a proper burial. I ask all Connecticut residents to join me in honoring Stephen Pepe’s memory and sacrifice."

The U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu in 2015. Pepe's name was recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with others who are missing from World War II.

A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Image via Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy