Flags Half-Staff Today to Honor KY WWII Sailor

Gov. Matt Bevin has directed that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff today in honor of a Kentucky serviceman who was killed in action during World War II, but whose remains were only recently identified.

Navy Machinist's Mate 1st Class Ulis C. Steely, 25, will be buried today at Corinth Cemetery in his hometown of Corbin.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency recently announced that Corbin was officially accounted for on Oct. 15, 2018.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Steely was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Pearl Harbor when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Steely.

From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, and they were buried in the Halawa and Nu'uanu Cemeteries. The remains were disinterred in 1947, but only 35 men were identified at that time, so the others were buried in 46 plots in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

In 2015, the bodies were exhumed again for analysis, and Steely was identified using advanced DNA technology along with dental and anthropological analysis. 

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. There are 72,674 still unaccounted for, but approximately 30,000 are assessed as possibly recoverable. 

Steely's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

All individuals, businesses, organizations, and government agencies are encouraged to join in this tribute of lowering the flag to honor Steely.