Mar. 22, 2024
HARRISBURG – Rep. Valerie Gaydos (R-Allegheny) today invites her constituents from the 44th Legislative District to pay their final respects to Fireman First Class (F1c) Walter F. Schleiter. He was killed during World War II and was identified on May 18, 2018.
Lynn Such, Schleiter’s first cousin, is a resident of Moon Township.
Schleiter will be buried with full military honors at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville on Thursday, April 11, at 1 p.m. Everyone is invited to process to the cemetery starting from the R.D. Copeland Funeral Home’s Moon Township location,
981 Brodhead Road, Moon Township, beginning at noon.
“F1c Schleiter, at the young age of 22 gave his life fighting for our county,” said Gaydos. “No matter how many years later – 83 – it is our duty to recognize his service. He deserves a proper funeral, and I hope the community can attend his service to pay their respects. This man was a true hero as he gave his life to preserve our freedoms.”
On Dec. 7, 1941, Schleiter was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Schleiter. He was later classified as missing in action.
Between June and November 2015, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.
On May 18, 2018, DPAA identified the remains of F1c Walter Fay Schleiter.
For family and funeral information, contact the U.S. Navy Casualty Office at 800-443-9298 or the R.D. Copeland Funeral Home at 412-264-1390.