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Elyria sailor killed in Pearl Harbor attack to be buried in Ohio

Posted at 2:58 PM, Oct 04, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-04 14:58:56-04

A sailor killed 75 years ago in the attack on Pearl Harbor is set to be buried with full military honors in northeast Ohio.

Rudolph Piskuran, of Elyria, and 429 other sailors aboard the USS Oklahoma were killed on Dec. 7, 1941 when a torpedo struck the ship.

Piskuran's remains were identified earlier this year through DNA testing. He will be buried late next week at St. Mary's Cemetery in Elyria.

The Chronicle-Telegram reports Piskuran had been a 1940 graduate of Elyria High School. He played basketball and sang in the boys' chorus and junior a capella chorus.

In a letter dated eight days before the attack, Piskuran told his parents he felt safe and happy. He said he was more concerned about volcanoes than the Japanese.