(Exira, IA) — The funeral for a Navy sailor from western Iowa man killed in the Pearl Harbor attack is today in Audubon County.
Eli Olsen of Exira was a 23-year-old Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class and a storekeeper onboard the U-S-S Oklahoma, when it was sunk and rolled over on December 7th, 1941. The U-S Navy says 388 of the 429 sailors were recovered from the ship off Ford Island. Of those, 35 were initially identified. The rest were interred as “unknowns,” in two separate Hawaiian cemeteries. Olsen’s identity was confirmed in September of 2017. His remains were transported from Omaha to Audubon on Tuesday and area residents lined Highway 71 and in communities along the way to show their support.
The service for Petty Officer Olsen will take place 10:30 a-m Saturday at the Exira Lutheran Church.
