A burial procession to honor Joseph Warren, a Navy sailor who was killed on the USS Oklahoma during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, will arrive at Yoctangee Park in Chillicothe at approximately 10:20 a.m. for a memorial ceremony in his hometown before heading back to Greenfield.
The route to follow and lay Hoffman’s remains to rest will be along Jefferson Street/S.R. 28 in Greenfield, heading east to S.R. 138, east to the Veterans Memorial at Yoctangee Park for the ceremony. The return route to Greenfield will be the same, with the exception that the procession will pass Hoffman’s childhood home near Yoctangee Park before returning to U.S. 35 West to S.R. 138 West/Jefferson St. to North Washington Street and into the Greenfield Cemetery by about 12 p.m.
“It would be very humbling to see our village lined with people to support Joseph’s family,” read a Facebook post from the village of Greenfield.
According to a Facebook Post from the Murray-Fettro Funeral Home in Greenfield, the United States Navy executed a dignified transfer of the remains on the Tarmac of John Glenn Columbus International Airport on Tuesday evening. From there, a hearse traveled south to the funeral home, escorted by the Patriot Guard.
The hearse was met by members of the McClain Cadet Corps, who carried the remains of Hoffman to the chapel side parlor.
“Welcome to the Village of Greenfield, Ohio Sailor, you’re almost home!” read the funeral home’s Facebook post.
American Legion Post 757 in Chillicothe, which is named after Hoffman, will host an open house Friday, Aug. 19 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event will include history, activities and food with ceremonies beginning at 3 p.m.
Tyler United Methodist Church in Chillicothe, which Hoffman attended, with hold a memorial service Sunday, Aug. 21 at 11 a.m.
Members of the Chillicothe Civic Theater will re-enact stories of local service members killed during war at the Notable Souls Tour at Grandview Cemetery in Chillicothe Sunday, Aug. 21 from 1-5 p.m. Hoffman’s story will be featured, and tickets can be purchased for $10 at the event.
Born in Lyndon, Ohio, Hoffman’s hometown was Chillicothe. He enlisted in the Navy in Cincinnati on Jan. 10, 1938. Prior to being assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, he completed boot camp at Naval Training Station Great Lakes, Illinois and served on the submarine tender USS Argonne as his first permanent duty station.
He reported for duty aboard the USS Oklahoma on Oct. 1, 1938.
At the onset of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack, the USS Oklahoma occupied a berth in the famed “battleship row” off of Ford Island. The first torpedo to hit the ship struck just before 8 a.m. The ship quickly capsized from damage caused by multiple torpedoes.
When the ship was righted in 1944, the remains of 429 sailors, dubbed “The Lost 429,” were recovered. Of those, only 35 were able to be identified at the time of recovery.
In June of 2015, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency began work to identify remains from the USS Oklahoma wreckage. The Navy Casualty Office located at Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tennessee was notified Sept. 8, 2020 that Hoffman’s remains had been identified, and the agency began planning Hoffman’s return home.
Reach John Hackley at 937-402-2571.
