Backman, Walter Howard
Navy Radioman 2nd class

Walter Howard Backman, age 22, from Kane County Wilton, North Dakota .

Parents: August Ferdinand Backman

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: On July 17, 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Radioman Second Class Walter Howard Backman, missing from World War II. Radioman Second Class Backman entered the U.S. Navy from North Dakota and served aboard the USS Oklahoma (BB-37). On December 7, 1941, he was aboard the Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked by Japanese forces. The Oklahoma capsized after being struck by multiple torpedoes, and over four hundred sailors and Marines were lost, including RM2 Backman. Following the attack, the remains of some of those who were lost aboard the Oklahoma were recovered, with many buried as “unknowns” at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Hawaii. RM2 Backman was among this group; however, recent forensic efforts were used by DPAA and identified his remains from the cemetery.
Cemetery: Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial

Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency