LANSING, Mich. — On Thursday, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced the remains of U.S. Naval Reserve Ensign Francis C. Flaherty have been identified.
Flaherty was killed during World War II, but his remains were accounted for September 30, 2019.
On December 7, 1941, Flaherty was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma. The battleship was anchored in Pearl Harbor when it was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The ship was hit multiple times by torpedoes, which caused the ship to capsize. 429 crewmen were killed during this attack, including Flaherty who was only 22-years-old.
Flaherty’s nephew, John Flaherty said, “At 7 o’clock, the Oklahoma was one of the first ships to be hit. It was struck seven times with torpedoes.”
Flaherty was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic acts to get his crew to safety. According to Flaherty’s family, he was able to shine a light in the dark waters for his crew.
Don Colizzi, Member of American Legion said, “He shined a flashlight on the corridor exit and pushed his crew mates to safety. Saved a lot of lives. Stayed in station without abandoning ship, even though there was an order to abandon ship.”
“He essentially illuminated the way for his crew because all electrical power was lost in the ship immediately,” said Flaherty.
From 1941 to 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of crew members from the Halawa and Nu’uanu Cemetaries. They sent those remains to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. At this time, staff could only identify 35 of the 429 USS Oklahoma.
“The remains stayed in the Oklahoma for almost a year and a half. The Oklahoma was in Pearl Harbor that time upside down,”said Flaherty.
The remains of those who couldn’t be identified were buried in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Flaherty. In 2015, the remains of those unidentified from the USS Oklahoma were exhumed from the Punchbowl.
To identify Flaherty’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
John Flaherty said his uncle sent his family Christmas gifts the day before he was killed.
“Christmas presents arrived after the attack and included in that were straw dolls that Fran had bought and given to me as my first Christmas present.,” said Flaherty.
Flaherty’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.
The town of Charlotte has honored Flaherty with a plaque outside the old courthouse, along with a gravestone in the Maple Hill Cemetery. Flaherty will be buried in his hometown of Charlotte, Michigan. The family said they are hoping to do so sometime next summer.
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